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Chapter 51: Zaku of Jaguda, Who is he?
The kingdom of Sawad had been a centre of civilization and science throughout the early ninth century (1). Its kings would have managed to consolidate the kingdom during the 9th century, however this realm would ultimately fall to the Bavundid kingdom.
The Bavundids (2), a dynasty of Dailamite origin, would have ruled over much of northwestern Iran, roughly corresponding to the region of ancient Media; to include also the coastal regions of Dailam and Taberestan. They would go on to conquer the rump Mihranid realm in Persia, in the early 10th century, before descending into the plains of Khuzestan in 945 and then into the Mesopotamian kingdom of Sawad. Their conquests would later continue eastwards, capturing Kerman in 960s and Gorgan in the 980s.
Bavandid infantrymen
The Bavundids would also subdue the mountain tribes of Kurds and Lurs, who had been independent since the collapse of the Sassanid Empire. The Bavundids themselves would have been Zoroastrians, and seek to restore the glory of the Sassanid Empire, although in practice only managing to recreate the borders of the Parthian Arsacid dynasty. This they would manage to do by consolidating Persia and Sawad.
Within their realm, however, there would be significant non-Zoroastrian populations. These would include the Manichean-majority regions of Media, the Kurds and Lurs practising the Yazdani religion, and the Nestorians of Sawad and Rey. Furthermore, there would remain persistent Mandean communities in Khuzestan and Jewish communities in Anbar. The attitude to the different populations would be distinguished.
The Nestorians would be accepted as more-less equal to the Zoroastrians. Any restrictive policy in Mesopotamia would, well, stir up popular revolts, and if you wish to efficiently integrate a large region with differences in religion and language, you ought not to impose anything unto them.
Mural of a Nestorian cleric, Sawad
The Bavandid attitude to the Jews would remain as it had been historically, very favourable and amicable (3). The attention of Zoroastrian clerics, missionaries and inquistors would focus mainly upon their Iranian compatriots practicing other denominations: especially severe would be the persecutions directed against Manicheans, for Manicheanism would be perceived as the greatest threat to Orthodox Zoroastrianism. In the mountains, the Lur people would, for the most part, accept Zoroastrianism.
This period would also see a rather strong migration of Persians into Khuzestan, especially in its northeastern part, shifting linguistic and cultural border to some extent. On the other hand, the region of Hormuz, seized by Mazoun, would have become mostly Aramaic-speaking in this period.
As for upper Mesopotamia, we used to have two statelets, one based around the Khabour and the other on the upper Tigris. The Duchy of Gozarto would come to dominate the region in mid-10th century, conquering the kingdom of Adiabene, as well as seizing some areas from the oasis-republic of Palmyra. The new Syriac state would again need to overcome religious differences, for the tensions between the preferred Syriac Orthodox Church, the rival Church of the East, and the declining Bardaisanite community.
As for the eastern parts of the Iranian highlands, we have the Kouroshids reigning supreme. The Kouroshids themselves would however fall victim to the establishment of Turkic guard (similar to the existence of the Varangian guard in the Rhomaic empire, the Iranian dynasties would employ Turkic foreign soldiers).
The problem with this was that a certain Alp Tegin (4), a commander of the Turkic guards would take over the region Jaguda (5). In 977 after the death of Alp Tegin a certain Sabuktigin would become appointed as the ruler of the town by the Turkish garrison of the city.
Zaku of Jaguda attacking Zaranj
He and his son Zaku would go on to conquer much of the eastern Iranian cultural region, practically annihilating the Kouroshid Empire, to conquer Khorasan and setting his border on the Oxus, to incorporate also Segestan and collect tribute from the tribes of Makran.
During this time, state organization has descended from the original Sassanid governance with autonomous satrapies into a rather feudal system, of vassalage and appanages, given to loyal members of the military regiments. The Turkic guard would become the new administrators of a vast empire, populated by a conglomerate of diverse peoples and religions. The whole area would, well hold together by the weapons of the Turkic guard.
Sabuktigin and his Turkic companions would be of Manichean faith: and this would have become the religion in the city of Jaguda. Manicheanism would be actively propagated by the Turkic conquerors and Manicheanism would, well, be able to supplant both the Buddhist faith in the Zabulestan valley, but also the ancient solar religion of Segestan known as Zunism.
When Sabuktigin dies in 998, he would have conquered a vast empire. This he would leave to his son Zaku of Jaguda (6). This empire would serve as a basecamp for a vast invasion of India, which will soon materialize…
The rule of the Turkic soldiers in eastern Iran (7) would somehow mean a cultural transformation as well. Especially the valley of the Helmand River would experience a cultural shift from the previously dominant Buddhism and Zunist solar practices to the Manichean religion imposed by the Turkic conquerors. This change would be rather gradual, at first materializing in the cities and the the major valleys, while the mountainous and inaccessible locations would preserve their old faith for the time being.
As for the regions of Makran (8), as mentioned previously, the area would become a tributary for the emergent empire of the Jagudids. The society would return to their previous tribal a clan-based systems. In religious terms, the area would be a mixture of Zoroastrianism in the west, the old Zuni faith in the north and Buddhism in the east. The coastal regions would have come under the influence of Mazouni traders, while the influence of the Turks of the Jagudid realm could be more visible in the north.
(1) Akin to the Islamic Golden Age, which was mostly due to Assyrian scholars.
(2) Roughly equivalent to both the Buyids and Ziyarids
(3) Remember the Persian King Cyrus who allowed the Jews to return from Babylonian exile.
(4) Yes, this guy did exist historically
(5) The city of Ghazni and environs. This is the pre-islamic name
(6) ATL equivalent of Mahmud of Ghazni. Enjoy
(7) Yes, I avoid using the word Afghanistan
(8) Balochistan
The Bavundids (2), a dynasty of Dailamite origin, would have ruled over much of northwestern Iran, roughly corresponding to the region of ancient Media; to include also the coastal regions of Dailam and Taberestan. They would go on to conquer the rump Mihranid realm in Persia, in the early 10th century, before descending into the plains of Khuzestan in 945 and then into the Mesopotamian kingdom of Sawad. Their conquests would later continue eastwards, capturing Kerman in 960s and Gorgan in the 980s.
Bavandid infantrymen
The Bavundids would also subdue the mountain tribes of Kurds and Lurs, who had been independent since the collapse of the Sassanid Empire. The Bavundids themselves would have been Zoroastrians, and seek to restore the glory of the Sassanid Empire, although in practice only managing to recreate the borders of the Parthian Arsacid dynasty. This they would manage to do by consolidating Persia and Sawad.
Within their realm, however, there would be significant non-Zoroastrian populations. These would include the Manichean-majority regions of Media, the Kurds and Lurs practising the Yazdani religion, and the Nestorians of Sawad and Rey. Furthermore, there would remain persistent Mandean communities in Khuzestan and Jewish communities in Anbar. The attitude to the different populations would be distinguished.
The Nestorians would be accepted as more-less equal to the Zoroastrians. Any restrictive policy in Mesopotamia would, well, stir up popular revolts, and if you wish to efficiently integrate a large region with differences in religion and language, you ought not to impose anything unto them.
Mural of a Nestorian cleric, Sawad
The Bavandid attitude to the Jews would remain as it had been historically, very favourable and amicable (3). The attention of Zoroastrian clerics, missionaries and inquistors would focus mainly upon their Iranian compatriots practicing other denominations: especially severe would be the persecutions directed against Manicheans, for Manicheanism would be perceived as the greatest threat to Orthodox Zoroastrianism. In the mountains, the Lur people would, for the most part, accept Zoroastrianism.
This period would also see a rather strong migration of Persians into Khuzestan, especially in its northeastern part, shifting linguistic and cultural border to some extent. On the other hand, the region of Hormuz, seized by Mazoun, would have become mostly Aramaic-speaking in this period.
As for upper Mesopotamia, we used to have two statelets, one based around the Khabour and the other on the upper Tigris. The Duchy of Gozarto would come to dominate the region in mid-10th century, conquering the kingdom of Adiabene, as well as seizing some areas from the oasis-republic of Palmyra. The new Syriac state would again need to overcome religious differences, for the tensions between the preferred Syriac Orthodox Church, the rival Church of the East, and the declining Bardaisanite community.
As for the eastern parts of the Iranian highlands, we have the Kouroshids reigning supreme. The Kouroshids themselves would however fall victim to the establishment of Turkic guard (similar to the existence of the Varangian guard in the Rhomaic empire, the Iranian dynasties would employ Turkic foreign soldiers).
The problem with this was that a certain Alp Tegin (4), a commander of the Turkic guards would take over the region Jaguda (5). In 977 after the death of Alp Tegin a certain Sabuktigin would become appointed as the ruler of the town by the Turkish garrison of the city.
Zaku of Jaguda attacking Zaranj
He and his son Zaku would go on to conquer much of the eastern Iranian cultural region, practically annihilating the Kouroshid Empire, to conquer Khorasan and setting his border on the Oxus, to incorporate also Segestan and collect tribute from the tribes of Makran.
During this time, state organization has descended from the original Sassanid governance with autonomous satrapies into a rather feudal system, of vassalage and appanages, given to loyal members of the military regiments. The Turkic guard would become the new administrators of a vast empire, populated by a conglomerate of diverse peoples and religions. The whole area would, well hold together by the weapons of the Turkic guard.
Sabuktigin and his Turkic companions would be of Manichean faith: and this would have become the religion in the city of Jaguda. Manicheanism would be actively propagated by the Turkic conquerors and Manicheanism would, well, be able to supplant both the Buddhist faith in the Zabulestan valley, but also the ancient solar religion of Segestan known as Zunism.
When Sabuktigin dies in 998, he would have conquered a vast empire. This he would leave to his son Zaku of Jaguda (6). This empire would serve as a basecamp for a vast invasion of India, which will soon materialize…
The rule of the Turkic soldiers in eastern Iran (7) would somehow mean a cultural transformation as well. Especially the valley of the Helmand River would experience a cultural shift from the previously dominant Buddhism and Zunist solar practices to the Manichean religion imposed by the Turkic conquerors. This change would be rather gradual, at first materializing in the cities and the the major valleys, while the mountainous and inaccessible locations would preserve their old faith for the time being.
As for the regions of Makran (8), as mentioned previously, the area would become a tributary for the emergent empire of the Jagudids. The society would return to their previous tribal a clan-based systems. In religious terms, the area would be a mixture of Zoroastrianism in the west, the old Zuni faith in the north and Buddhism in the east. The coastal regions would have come under the influence of Mazouni traders, while the influence of the Turks of the Jagudid realm could be more visible in the north.
(1) Akin to the Islamic Golden Age, which was mostly due to Assyrian scholars.
(2) Roughly equivalent to both the Buyids and Ziyarids
(3) Remember the Persian King Cyrus who allowed the Jews to return from Babylonian exile.
(4) Yes, this guy did exist historically
(5) The city of Ghazni and environs. This is the pre-islamic name
(6) ATL equivalent of Mahmud of Ghazni. Enjoy
(7) Yes, I avoid using the word Afghanistan
(8) Balochistan
- Tomislav Addai
- Word Count: 1.1k