principality · Mesopotamia and Iran

Khorshidi dynasty

1184 CE – 1597 CE (approx.) · capital Khorramabad

The atabegs of Lesser Luristan who ruled from Khorramabad for four centuries until Shah Abbas I ended their line.

Origins

Shuja al-Din Khurshid, a Lur chief, took control of Lur-i Kuchik (Lesser Luristan), the mountains north of the Karkheh, around 1184, as the Seljuk Sultanate of Iraq declined. His family, the Khurshidids, ruled the region from the fortress town of Khorramabad.

Rule and society

The atabegs governed a society of semi-nomadic Lur tribes who moved between summer and winter pastures, collecting tribute in livestock and controlling the routes between Mesopotamia and the Iranian plateau. They submitted in turn to the Ilkhanate, the Timurid Empire and the Safavid Empire, which recognised them as governors (valis). The fortress of Falak-ol-Aflak at Khorramabad was their seat.

Decline and legacy

In 1597 Shah Abbas I had the last atabeg, Shahverdi Khan, executed and replaced the dynasty with the Safavid-appointed valis of Luristan, a related family who ruled into the 20th century.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (2)

  • Khorshidi dynasty was a vassal of Ilkhanate1256 CE – 1335 CE
  • Khorshidi dynasty was conquered by Safavid Empire1597 CE

More states of Mesopotamia and Iran →

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻