Hasanwayh built a Kurdish ruling house in the tenth-century Zagros. Sarmaj, family connections and tribute explain his position within the Buyid political world.

Surviving stone arches and massive piers of Kashkan Bridge above green fields in Lorestan
Kashkan Bridge, photographed in 2016. Its Hasanwayhid inscription belongs to Badr, Hasanwayh’s son, and dates to 399 AH/1008–9. This later dynastic monument is not a building attributed to the founder. [4] © Kiavash Safarian, 26 April 2016 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Existing Wikimedia preview reproduced without creative changes.

A Barzikani leader, with an approximate beginning

Hasanwayh ibn Husayn, Abu’l-Fawaris or Hasanuya, was a Kurdish Barzikani leader. Güneş dates the dynasty’s beginning to 956; Azkai places expansion around 958. [3] [1] The beginning is approximate.

Power inherited through family connections

Omar Ahmad Saeed’s study identifies the Aishani rulers Windad and Ghanim as Hasanwayh’s maternal uncles. After Windad’s death, his son Abd al-Wahhab was captured by Shadhanjan Kurds and handed over to Hasanwayh, who acquired his fortresses and possessions. [2] The new ruling house therefore grew through an existing network of kinship, rival claimants and fortified property, not simply from an empty political landscape.

Negotiation and conflict with the Buyids

Güneş describes Hasanwayh supporting Rukn al-Dawla, then resisting Sahlan ibn Musafir. After the vizier Ibn al-Amid died during an expedition, his son Abu’l-Fath reached a 970 agreement with Hasanwayh involving 50,000 dinars. [3] Tribute accompanied local power, rather than unrestricted sovereignty.

Sarmaj and the regional centres

Azkai identifies Sarmaj south of Bisotun as Hasanwayh’s capital, with Dinawar, Nahavand and Asadabad in his expansion. [1] Güneş also names Sarmaj and attributes building work there and a mosque at Dinawar to him. [3] Dinawar mattered without replacing Sarmaj.

Death and a contested succession

Azkai gives 979 for his rule’s end; Güneş uses 980 for his death. [1] [3] Güneş describes divisions among the sons and Buyid intervention before Badr’s appointment. [3] Succession involved heirs and an overlord, with the year disputed.

What belongs to Badr’s reign

Anisi treats Hasanwayh and Badr as rulers who maintained their position through Buyid alliances. He associates Badr with improved financial administration, roads, markets and pilgrim support, and records bridges bearing Badr’s name. [4] These later works help explain the dynasty’s material legacy. They should not all be credited retrospectively to Hasanwayh himself: the founder’s political career and his son’s patronage answer different historical questions.

Sources and further reading

  1. Parviz Azkai, Hamadān vi. History, Islamic Period, Encyclopaedia Iranica, 2003, updated 2018; Hasanwayh’s rise and Sarmaj.
  2. Omar Ahmad Saeed, The Two Emirates, al-Aishani and Daisam al-Kurdi, Mosul College of Basic Education Research Journal 13/2, 2014, pp. 669–682; pp. 671–672.
  3. İbrahim Güneş, Hasanveyhler (956–1048), Bitlis Eren Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 9/2, 2020, pp. 163–169; pp. 164–165.
  4. Alireza Anisi, Early Islamic Architecture in Iran (637–1059), Edinburgh PhD, title dated 2007, pp. 29–30; Hasanwayhids and Badr’s bridges.