principality · Mesopotamia and Iran

Justanid dynasty

791 CE – 1004 CE (approx.) · capital Rudbar

A Daylamite royal family in the valleys of the Alborz that sheltered Alid refugees and is credited with building the castle of Alamut.

Origins

The Justanids were rulers of Daylam, the highlands south-west of the Caspian, with their centre in Rudbar on the Shahrud. They first appear in 791, when King Marzuban ibn Justan gave refuge to the Alid rebel Yahya ibn Abdallah, before handing him over to the Abbasid Caliphate.

Rule and society

The Daylamites were tough highland infantry who long resisted Arab rule. The Justanids governed through clan loyalties and accepted Islam in the 9th century, often in its Zaydi Shia form under the influence of Alid missionaries. Justan III supported the Alavid dynasty of Tabaristan after 864, and tradition credits Wahsudan ibn Marzuban with building Alamut castle in about 860.

Decline and legacy

From the early 10th century the Justanids were overshadowed by the Sallarid dynasty, who married into their family and took over Daylam. The family lingered as minor lords and disappears from the sources around the early 11th century.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Justanid dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/justanid-dynasty
MLA
“Justanid dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/justanid-dynasty. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Justanid dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/justanid-dynasty.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Justanid dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/justanid-dynasty (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻