Afrighids

Afrighid dynasty
305–995
Map showing the territory ruled by the Afrighid dynasty (highlighted in green), abutting the southern shore of the (former)Aral Sea
Capital	Kath
Common languages	Old Khwarazmian
Religion	Zoroastrianism(until the early 9th-century) Sunni Islam(after the early 9th-century)
Government	Monarchy
Khwarazmshah
• 305–???	Afrig(first)
• 967–995	Abu 'Abdallah Muhammad(last)
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Established	305
•Ma'munidconquest of Khwarezm.	995
Succeeded by Ma'munids

TheAfrighids(Khwarazmian:ʾfryḡ) were a nativeKhwarezmianIraniandynasty who ruled over the ancient kingdom ofKhwarazm.Over time, they were under thesuzeraintyof theSasanian Empire,theHephthalite Empire,theGöktürk Khaganate,theUmayyad Caliphate,Abbasid Caliphateand theSamanid Empire.

They were ultimately deposed by a rival family, theMa'munidsofGurganj,who became the new rulers of Khwarazm.

Sources

Al-Biruni,the nativeKhwarezmianscholar, mentions twenty-two members of the Afrighid dynasty for a total span of 690 years with an average rule of 31 years for each ruler.According to him, the Afrighids ruled from 305, through the Arab conquests under Qutayba ibn Muslim in 712, and up to their overthrow in 995 by the rising rival family ofMa'munids.The main source on the Afrighids prior to Islam is also Al-Biruni. Part of the reason for the gap in information about this dynasty is mentioned by Al-Biruni.

Al-Biruni states:

WhenQutaibah bin Moslemunder the command of Al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf was sent toKhwarazmiawith a military expedition and conquered it for the second time, he swiftly killed whoever wrote in theKhwarazmian native languageand knew of the Khwarazmian heritage, history, and culture. He then killed all theirZoroastrianpriests and burned and wasted their books, until gradually the illiterate only remained, who knew nothing of writing, and hence the region's history was mostly forgotten.

Etymology

It has been suggested that 'Afrigh' is the Arabicized of 'Abriz' in Persian (آبریز where water flows, a reference to the geography ofKhwarazmand its abundant water). However, Dr. Parviz Azkai, in his annotations on Al-Biruni'sChronology of Ancient Nations,explains that this is a popular etymology. Azkai explains that Afrigh was originally Ap-Air-ig meaningfrom the Aryan descent:aporafis the same in 'afrashtan' (Persian: افراشتن) to raise;airis the root meaning Aryan as seen inIraj,and Eran/Iran (land of Aryan); and-igis the suffix of relation inIranian languagesand cognate to '-ic' in English or '-ique' inFrench.

Geography

Khwarazm was a well-irrigated, rich agricultural region on the lowerOxus.Bordered by steppeland and desert on all sides, Khwarazm was geographically secluded from other areas of civilization, which allowed it to preserve a separate distinctive Iranian language and culture. Khwarazm was possibly the early homeland of the Iranians.In the Islamic era, the region had three main cities; Kath,GurganjandHazarasp.

Kingdom

The fortress ofAyaz Kala2 was built during the Afrighid period, in the 6th to 8th century CE

Most of Afrighid history is recorded by the Khwarazmian scholaral-Biruni(died 1050), whose reliability has been questioned. According to al-Biruni, the Afrighids were founded byAfrigin 305, succeeding the semi-legendary line of the Siyavushids, founded by the Iranian kingKay Khosrow.However, extensiveSovietarcheological findings demonstrate that al-Biruni was in reality not well-acquainted with pre-Islamic Khwarazmian history. Coin findings show that before the advent of the Afrighids, Khwarazm was part of theParthian Empire.The start of theKhwarazmian eraseemingly took place in the early 1st-century, after they had freed themselves of Parthian rule, and established their own local dynasty of shahs. The dynastic name of "Afrighid" (Khwarazmian:ʾfryḡ) is not attested anywhere besides al-Biruni, which has led scholars to suggest that the name never existed. The IranologistClifford Edmund Bosworthadds that "If this [Afrig] era was actually in use, it must have been unofficial."Likewise, many of the Khwarazmshahs recorded by al-Biruni are not supported by archeological evidence; however, this may be due to scribal errors.

The first four centuries of Afrighid rule are particularly obscure. According to al-Biruni, Afrig had a large fortress called Fil or Fir constructed on the fringe of the capitalKath,which by the time of al-Biruni was in ruins, due to the changes in the flow of the Oxus in the 10th-century. Coinage confirms the existence of the Afrighid shahArsamuh,who lived during the time of the Islamic prophetMuhammad.Reliable information about Khwarazm first starts to appear in the early 8th-century.Khwarazm had initially been the subject of ineffective raids by the Arabs, who occasionally attacked from the neighbouring regions ofKhurasanandTransoxiana.In 712, however, the Arab governor of Khurasan,Qutayba ibn Muslim,capilizated on the civil war between the shahAzkajwar IIand his brother Khurrazad. Khwarazm was devastated, and Azkajwar II was killed. According to al-Biruni, the Arabs killed all Khwarazmian scholars who knew the ancient history of the country; however, according to Bosworth, this is exaggerated.

Once the Arabs withdrew from their raid, the Shahs recovered power in Khwarezm and they continued to adhere to their ancestral faith, which according to Al-Biruni wasZoroastrianism.The local shahs continued to ally with local Iranian princes,Soghdianmerchants and evenTurksandChinesein order to resist theArabs.Khwarazm was one of the few Iranian states which survived through the early Islamic period.

Silver bowl from Khwarezm depicting a four-armed goddess seated on a lion, possiblyNana.Dated 658,British Museum.

Ossuary Lid, Tok-Kala Necropolis, Alabaster. 7th-8th century CE

The Afrighids and the local population were most likely adherents ofZoroastrianism.The first Khwarazmshah to convert toIslamwasAzkajwar-Abdallah,who ruled in the early 9th-century, perhaps coinciding with the reign of theAbbasidcaliphal-Ma'mun(r. 813–833). Regardless, the Islamization of the local population was much slower. In the early 10th-century, the Khwarazmshahs were made vassals of theSamanid dynasty,aPersianfamily which ruled mainly inTransoxaniaandKhurasan.Although the Khwarazmshahs sometimes granted sanctuary to Samanid rebels, they generally ruled a peaceful domain. During the end of the Samanids, the Khwarazmshahs extended their rule as far as the northern edges of Khurasan, ruling frontier posts such as Farawa andNasa.

An uncertain part of Khwarazmian history is the rise ofMa'munid family,who came to rule their hometown ofGurganj,one of the three main cities of the country. The city had risen to rival Kath, most likely due to its commercial success as a trading post between thesteppeand theKievan Rus'.The Ma'munids and Afrighids eventually became rivals, with conflict soon ensuing. The Ma'munidMa'mun Ideposed and killed the Afrighid shahAbu 'Abdallah Muhammad(r. 967–995), thus marking the end of the first Khwarazmshah line of the Afrighids, and the inauguration of the second Khwarazmshah line of the Ma'munids.

Religion

The Khwarazmian population practiced a variant of Zoroastriansm mixed with localpaganism.Contrary to Iran, Zoroastrianism was not an official religion of Khwarazm, and thus did not follow strict writings.The Iran-based and Khwarazmian variants differed significantly from each other; while the remains of the deceased was buried innichescarved in rock or in arched burial chambers, while the Khwarazmians usedossuaries,which was a survival of earlier doctrines. The Khwarazmians continued to bury their dead in ossuaries until the 3rd-century, when they were replaced with stone boxes, a sign of the expanding influence of orthodox Zoroastrianism from Iran. Contrary to the orthodox Zoroastrians, the Khwarazmians, like the Sogdians, mourned the dead, as demonstrated by the paintings on theToprak-Kalaossuaries.Veneration of the deadwas highly esteemed in Khwarazm, with food being placed in the burial chambers on the last five days of the last (twelfth) month and five extra days during the New Year. The local cult of Vakhsh—thetutelaryspirit of the element of water—was a sign of earlyanimismamongst the Khwarazmians. They commemorated the feast of Vakhsh on the tenth day of the last month of the year.

Language

The native language of Afrighid Khwarazm wasOld Khwarazmian,written an indigenous script derived fromAramaic,which had been imported by theAchaemenid Empire(550–330 BC) during their rule over Khwarazm.According to the 10th-century Arab travellerAhmad ibn Fadlan,the language sounded "like the chattering of starlings."

Names of rulers

Only consonants of the pre-Islamic names are known with long vowels, since inArabicscript, the short vowels are not written and diacritic signs are used to clarify when required. After the conversion of 'Abdallah, all the names except possibly 'Eraq areArabicand their pronunciation is known. Unfortunately, the manuscripts that have also come down have also suffered some corruption due to scribal errors,since theKhwarezmiannames were incomprehensible for most non-natives. Al-Biruni himself utilizes the extra letters ofKhwarezmianwhich were not used inArabicwritings.

More is known about the dynasty in the Islamic era after the beginning of the 8th century and their conversion to Islam.

Name of the rulers given by the nativeKhwarezmianspeakerAl-Biruni,and modern scholars.

Coin of Coin of Bravik, also named Fravik, 7th century, Khwarazm

Coin ofSawashfan.

Coin ofAzkajwar-Abdallah

1. Afrig(died 4th century)
2. Baghra
3. Biwarsar I(r. 3rd quarter of the 4th century)
4. Kawi
5. Biwarsar II
6. Sahhasak
7. Askajamuk I
8. Azkajwar I
9. Sahr I
10. Shaush
11. Hamgari
12. Buzgar
13. Arsamuh(r. during the time of the prophet Muhammad, around 600)
14. Sahr II
15. Sabri
16. Azkajwar II(r. late 7th century — 712)
17. Khusrau(r. 712)
18. Askajamuk II(r. 712–?)
19. Sawashfan(8th century)
20. Torkasbatha
21. Azkajwar-Abdallah(r. after 762/before 787 – 820s)
22. Mansur ibn Abdallah
23. Eraq ibn Mansur
24. Muhammad ibn Eraq(died 10th century)
25. Abu Sa'id Ahmad
26. Abu 'Abdallah Muhammad(r. 967–995, the year he was killed)

Sources

• Bosworth, C.E.& Crowe, Yolande (1965)."Sāmānids".InLewis, B.;Pellat, Ch.&Schacht, J.(eds.).The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition.Volume II:C–G.Leiden: E. J. Brill.OCLC495469475.
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• Bosworth, Clifford Edmund (1978)."K̲h̲wārazm-S̲h̲āhs".Invan Donzel, E.;Lewis, B.;Pellat, Ch.&Bosworth, C. E.(eds.).The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition.Volume IV:Iran–Kha.Leiden: E. J. Brill.OCLC758278456.
• Bosworth, Clifford Edmund (1984a)."Āl-e Afrīḡ".Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. I, Fasc. 7.pp. 743–745.
• Bosworth, Clifford Edmund (1984b)."Āl-e Maʾmūn".Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. I, Fasc. 7.pp. 762–764.
• Bosworth, Clifford Edmund (1986)."Anuštigin Ĝarčāī".Encyclopaedia Iranica.
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• Bosworth, C.E. (1996).The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual.New York City: Columbia University Press.ISBN0-231-10714-5.
• Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh; Stewart, Sarah (2009).The Rise of Islam: The Idea of Iran Vol 4.I.B. Tauris.ISBN978-1845116910.
• MacKenzie, D. N. (1992)."Chorasmia iii. The Chorasmian Language".InYarshater, Ehsan(ed.).Encyclopædia Iranica, Volume V: Carpets–Coffee.London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 517–520.ISBN978-0-939214-79-2.
• Nerazik, E. E.; Bulgakov, P. G. (1996)."Khwarizm".In Litvinsky, B. A. (ed.).History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Volume III: The Crossroads of Civilizations, A.D. 250 to 750.Paris: UNESCO Publishing. pp. 207–236.ISBN92-3-103211-9.

Further reading

• Gibb, H. A. R.(1923).The Arab Conquests in Central Asia.London:The Royal Asiatic Society.OCLC499987512.