Mir-i Buzurg

Qiwam al-Din ibn Abdallah Marashi, better known as Mir-i Buzurg (Template:Lang-fa), was the founder of the Marashi dynasty, ruling from 1359 to 1362.

Biography

Mir-i Buzurg belonged to a Alid family, he was the son of a certain Marashi, who was the eponymous ancestor of the Marashi dynasty. Mir-i Buzurg, during his early life, lived in Dabu near Amol, which was then under Bavandid control. He religious studies and came into contact with Izz al-Din Sughandi, a influental sufi who was a pupil of Abd al-Razzaq ibn Fazlullah, who was the founder of the Sarbadars of Khorasan. Mir-i Buzurg later founded a Khanqah in Dabu and gained numerous followers.

In 1359, the Bavand dynasty was put to an end by the Chulabi nobleman Kiya Afrasiyab who founded the Afrasiyab dynasty. However, the nobles of Mazandaran did not acknowledged his rule and viewed it as usurpation. Afrasiyab shortly tried to achieve stability by asking aid from Mir-i Buzurg. However, some of Mir-i Buzurg's dervishes later acted hostile to Afrasiyab, which made him imprison Mir-i Buzurg and many of his dervishes. However, the supporters of Mir-i Buzurg shortly revolted, and freed him from prison. In 1359, a battle between Afrasiyab and Mir-i Buzurg took place near Amol, where Afrasiyab was defeated and was killed together with his three sons. Mir-i Buzurg shortly conquered the territories of the Afrasiyab dynasty, and laid foundations to the Marashis.

Mir-i Buzurg then turned against Jalali family which governed Sari, and captured the city. Mir-i Buzurg thus united all of Mazandaran under his rule, and wanted to spent the rest of his life in devoting himself to religion. In 1362 he gave his son Kamal al-Din I the city of Sari, while his other son Riza al-Din was given Amol. Mir-i Buzurg later died in 1379, and was buried in Amol. In 1403, his tomb was destroyed by Iskandar-i Shaykhi, the eight son of Afrasiyab.

Sources

• Bosworth, C. E. (1984). "ĀL-E AFRĀSĪĀB". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. I, Fasc. 7. London u.a.: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 742–743. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)