1. Ismail Samani's reign saw the emergence of the Samanids as a powerful force.
16 Facts About Ismail Samani
1. 2.
Ismail Samani was the son of Ahmad ibn-i Asad and a descendant of Saman Khuda, the eponymous ancestor of the Samanid dynasty who renounced Zoroastrianism and embraced Islam.
3.
The citizens of the city welcomed Ismail Samani, seeing him as someone who could bring stability.
4.
Ismail Samani did so because Nasr had been the one to whom the Caliph had given the formal investiture of Transoxiana; in the caliph's eyes, Nasr was the only legitimate ruler of the region.
5.
Ismail Samani was successful in establishing economic and commercial development and organized a powerful army.
6.
In 893, Ismail Samani took the city of Taraz, the capital of the Karluk Turks, taking large numbers of slaves and livestock.
7.
Ismail Samani brought an end to the Principality of Ushrusana, extending Samanid control over the Syr Darya river.
8.
Ismail Samani's horsemen were ill-equipped with most having wooden stirrups while some had no shields or lances.
9.
Ismail Samani wished to ransom him to the Saffarids, but they refused, so he sent 'Amr to the caliph, who blamed 'Amr's conduct in the matter and then invested Ismail Samani with Khorasan, Tabaristan, Ray, and Isfahan.
10.
Ismail Samani decided to take advantage of the caliph's grant by sending an army to Tabaristan, which was then controlled by the Zaydids under Muhammad ibn Zayd.
11.
Ismail Samani's corpse was decapitated, and his head was sent to Ismail at the Samanid court at Bukhara.
12.
However, Ismail's general Muhammad ibn Harun shortly revolted, forcing Ismail to send an army under his son Ahmad Samani and cousin Abu'l-Abbas Abdullah into northern Persia in 901, including Tabaristan, forcing Muhammad to flee to Daylam.
13.
Ismail Samani then appointed his cousin Abu'l-Abbas Abdullah as the governor of Tabaristan.
14.
Ismail Samani gave enormous amounts of booty and riches to others, and kept nothing.
15.
Ismail Samani is known in history as a competent general and a strong ruler; many stories about him are written in Arabic and Persian sources.
16.
Ismail Samani was an intelligent, just, compassionate person, one possessing reason and prescience.