Farighunids | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9th-century–1010 | |||||||
  Guzgan | |||||||
| Status | Client of theSaffarids,Samanids and theGhaznavids | ||||||
| Capital | Yahudiyya | ||||||
| Common languages | Persian | ||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||
• Established | 9th-century | ||||||
• Ghaznavid conquest | 1010 | ||||||
| |||||||
TheFarighunids were anIranian dynasty that ruledGuzgan (modern-day northernAfghanistan) in the late 9th, 10th and early 11th centuries. They were ultimately deposed by the ruler of theGhaznavid Empire,Sultan Mahmud (r. 998–1030).
According to the unknown author of theHudud al-'Alam, the Farighunid family descended from the legendary Iranian kingAfridun/Faridun.[1] The English historianClifford Edmund Bosworth suggests that the Farighunids had ancestral ties with theAfrighids, the ruling dynasty ofKhwarazm.[1] This is possibly supported by the fact that some chronicles refer to the Afrighids as the "Al Farighun of Kath".[1]
The first Farighunid amir mentioned isAhmad ibn Farighun. Ahmad, together with theBanijurids, was compelled to recognize theSaffaridAmr ibn al-Layth as his suzerain. Only a short time afterwards, Amr ibn al-Layth was defeated and captured by theSamanids; Ahmad transferred his allegiance to them around this time.[2] Later Ahmad married his daughter to his Samanid sovereignNuh II.[3] The Farighunids would remain Samanid vassals until the end of the 10th century. Ahmad was succeeded by his sonAbu'l Haret Muhammad, whose reign marked the apex Farighunid authority and influence. The chiefs of the neighbouring regions ofGharchistan andGhur acknowledged his overlordship.[4]
Abu'l Haret died probably some time after 982, and his sonAbu'l Haret Ahmad was drawn into the conflicts that took place within the Samanid amirate during its decline. He was ordered by his suzerain Nuh II to attack the rebel Fa'iq Khassa, but was defeated by him.[3] The Farighunids developed marriage alliances with theGhaznavids; Abu'l Haret's daughter had marriedMahmud, while Mahmud's sister had married Abu'l Haret's sonAbu'l-Nasr Muhammad.[3] Abu'l Haret assistedSabuktigin's forces atHerat against Fa'iq and theSimjurids, a battle in which the Ghaznavids and Farighunids were victorious. The Ghaznavids soon afterwards supplanted the Samanids inKhurasan, and the Farighunids become Ghaznavid vassals.[2]
Abu'l Haret died in c. 1000 and Abu'l-Nasr Muhammad succeeded him. Abu'l-Nasr enjoyed the confidence of Mahmud of Ghazna; in 1008 he fought in the center of the Ghaznavid lineagainst the Karakhanids near Carkhiyan[3] and in the following year escorted Mahmud during hiscampaign in India.[3] He also married off a daughter to Mahmud's sonMuhammad of Ghazni. When Abu'l-Nasr died in around 1010, Muhammad took over the rule ofGuzgan, even though Abu'l-Nasr had left a son, Hasan. This marked the end of Farighunid rule.[5]
The Farighunids had a significant impact of many prominent individuals in the arts and sciences at the time.[5] Two great poets,Badi' al-Zaman al-Hamadani andAbu al-Fath al-Busti, addressed poems to them, and the author of theHudud al-'Alam, the first geographical treatise to be written inNew Persian, dedicated the work to Abu'l Haret Muhammad in 982/3.[5] The Farighunids may also have had connections with the encyclopedistMuhammad ibn Ahmad al-Khwarizmi and another encyclopedist namedSha'ya ibn Farighun, who wrote theJawame' al-'ulum for theMuhtajid amirAbu Ali Chaghani.[5]
The historical region of Guzgan borderedTukharistan to the east; to the south, it bordered Ghur; to the west it bordered Gharchistan andMarw; to the north, theOxus River served as its boundary.[1] The capital of the Farighunids wasYahudiyya, while Anbar—the largest city in Guzgan—served as the seat of the Farighunid amirs. Kundarm and Qurzuman were other major hubs of Guzgan.[1]
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