Ayyār
- Ayyar redirects here. It can also refer to Ayyar of Bulgaria.
Áyyār, (Persian: عیار Ayyâr, pl. Ayyârân, Arabic: عيار ʿayyār, pl. ʿayyārūn) refers to a person associated with a class of warriors in Iran from the 9th to the 12th centuries. The word "Ayyar" literally means knight in persian. Ayyars were associated with futuwwa, or medieval Islamic organizations located in cities, but their philosophical origins take place in the Zoroastrian religion.
Emergence
Ayyarun are believed to predate Islam, though most of the writing about them centers on their activities in Baghdad (old capital city of Iran at this period) from the 10th to the 12th centuries. Baghdad was ruled by the Buyids (945–1055), and was a very lawless city, caused by fighting between Sunnis and Shi'ites. For several years (1028–33), Al-Burjumi and Ibn al-Mawsili, leaders of the 'ayyarun, ruled the city due to governmental instability.
Reputation
The 'ayyarun have been commonly called fighters, though these activities are highlighted during times of weak government and civil war, when their role as a military force most likely made them fight on multiple sides, angering many. During times of more stable government, their lawful activities decreased, and when the Seljuqs ruled in the 12th century, their activities almost ceased. The 'ayyarun also made war against much of Turks in reaction to social injustices.
Regional influence
Outside Baghdad, the 'ayyarun (or Ayyaran) were closely allied with the middle class, and helped maintain the current order. The Saffarids (861-1003) of eastern Iran were in fact an 'ayyarun dynasty. They are thought by some historians to have contributed to the weakening of Baghdad, clearing the way for the horrific destruction of the city by the Mongols.
Politics
Ayyaran are also a political group. The member of an ancient Iranian noble family, Dr Hossein Homayoun Fard Mohammad Abadi founded the political group Ayyaran[1] in 1976 in Paris, claiming directly from the historical continuity of the ayyaran knighthood and recognized as it by public authorities of many countries like Iran and France where he is living now. This political group known in Iran have been acting in the interests of Iran in silence for many years, but in 2017, Dr Homayoun Fard Mohammad Abadi presented himself as candidate for the Presidential Iranian elections in the name of Ayyaran Group[2].
References
- AYYĀR, Encyclopædia Iranica
External links
- ↑ Official Website of Ayyaran Group
- ↑ Article from Newspaper "L'Union de Reims" http://www.lunion.fr/25680/article/2017-04-13/un-ancien-remois-candidat-la-presidentielle-en-iran