principality · Mesopotamia and Iran
Mar'ashi dynasty
Origins
Sayyid Qavam al-Din Mar'ashi, known as Mir-i Buzurg, was a Twelver Shia Sufi teacher whose dervish followers grew powerful in Mazandaran. In 1359 they defeated the Afrasiyabids of Mazandaran, and Qavam al-Din's sons established a theocratic principality based at Amol and Sari.
Rule and society
The Mar'ashis ruled as religious leaders as well as princes, spreading Twelver Shia Islam in the Caspian lands and backing the Karkiya dynasty in Gilan. Timur conquered Mazandaran in 1392 and deported the family, but Shah Rukh restored them. Later rulers were often divided among rival branches. The Safavids married into the family: Khayr al-Nisa Begum, mother of Shah Abbas I, was a Mar'ashi.
Decline and legacy
Despite these ties, Shah Abbas I annexed Mazandaran in 1596, ending Mar'ashi rule and making the province a royal domain.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Afrasiyabids of Mazandaran was conquered by Mar'ashi dynasty1359 CE
- Mar'ashi dynasty was conquered by Timurid Empire1392 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mar'ashi dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/marashi-dynasty
- MLA
- “Mar'ashi dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/marashi-dynasty. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Mar'ashi dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/marashi-dynasty.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mar'ashi dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/marashi-dynasty (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻