emirate · Mesopotamia and Iran
Alavid dynasty
Origins
In 864 the people of Ruyan and Tabaristan, angered by land seizures under Tahirid governors, invited Hasan ibn Zayd, a descendant of the Prophet's grandson Hasan, to lead them. With Daylamite support he took Amol and established a Zaydi imamate, calling himself al-Da'i ila'l-Haqq, 'the summoner to the truth'.
Rule and society
The Alavids ruled in the name of a religious mission rather than the Abbasid Caliphate, governing from Amol with the help of Daylamite and Gilite warriors. Hasan ibn Zayd was succeeded by his brother Muhammad ibn Zayd, killed by the Samanids in 900. Hasan al-Utrush, known as al-Nasir al-Kabir, restored the state in 914 and converted many Daylamites and Gilites to Zaydi Islam, writing works of law still respected by Zaydis.
Decline and legacy
After al-Utrush's death in 917 the dynasty became a tool of Daylamite commanders such as Makan ibn Kaki and Mardavij, and it ended around 928. Its converts went on to found the Ziyarid dynasty and Buyid dynasty.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Alavid dynasty was conquered by Samanid Empire928 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Alavid dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/alavid-dynasty
- MLA
- “Alavid dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/alavid-dynasty. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Alavid dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/alavid-dynasty.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Alavid dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/alavid-dynasty (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻