11 Facts About Keikavus

Keikavus was the ruler of the Ziyarid dynasty from c 1050 to 1087.

Keikavus was the son of Iskandar and grandson of Qabus.

Keikavus is the celebrated author of the Qabus nama, a major work of Persian literature.

Keikavus was born in 1021, during the reign of his uncle Manuchihr.

Keikavus then appointed a Seljuq noble to govern the region, but let Anushirvan Sharaf al-Ma'ali keep his status as nominal ruler of those territories.

Keikavus then took performed a pilgrimage to Mecca, where he afterwards traveled to the court of the Shaddadid emir Abu'l-Aswar Shavur at Ganja in Arran, and aided him in his invasion of Ani.

Keikavus later died in 1087, and was succeeded by his son.

Keikavus was not only a ruler, but a poet; in 1082, he wrote the Qabus nama, which he named after his grandfather Qabus.

Keikavus tells about the genealogy of his father, saying that he was a descendant of Arghush Farhadan, the king of Gilan, who lived during the time of Kai Khosrow.

Keikavus states in the book, that the grandmother of his father, was descended from Sasanian king Khosrau I He states that his mother was a Ghaznavid princess, and that his great-grandmother of his father's side was the daughter of Hasan ibn al-Fairuzan, a noble of Tabaristan and a relative of Makan ibn Kaki.

Keikavus was a cruel man, and because of his cruelty his troops determined upon seeking vengeance.