emirate · Mesopotamia and Iran
Ziyarid dynasty
Origins
Mardavij ibn Ziyar, a Gilite commander who had served Daylamite warlords, seized Tabaristan and Gorgan and then the Jibal around 931. He ruled from Isfahan, celebrated old Iranian festivals such as Sadeh and was said to plan the conquest of Baghdad and a revived Sasanian monarchy. His Turkish slave guards murdered him in 935.
Rule and society
His brother Vushmgir kept Gorgan and Tabaristan, while the Buyid dynasty, once Mardavij's officers, took the Jibal. Qabus ibn Vushmgir, ruler in 977 to 981 and 997 to 1012, was a learned prince and stylist in Arabic, patron of al-Biruni, and built the brick tomb tower Gonbad-e Qabus in 1006 to 1007. His grandson Keikavus wrote the Qabus-nama, a classic Persian book of advice for princes.
Decline and legacy
The Ziyarids became vassals of the Ghaznavid Empire and then the Seljuk Empire. The dynasty faded around 1090, when its last prince, Gilanshah, lost his lands, reportedly to the Nizari Ismailis.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Ziyarid dynasty was a vassal of Samanid Empire935 CE – 999 CE
- Ziyarid dynasty was a vassal of Ghaznavid Empire1029 CE – 1041 CE
- Ziyarid dynasty was a vassal of Seljuk Empire1041 CE – 1090 CE
More states of Mesopotamia and Iran →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ziyarid dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ziyarid-dynasty
- MLA
- “Ziyarid dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ziyarid-dynasty. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Ziyarid dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ziyarid-dynasty.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ziyarid dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ziyarid-dynasty (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻