Background and early life A native of
Lahijan, Asfar belonged to the Gilaki clan of Varudavand, and was the son of a certain Shiruya (Sheroe). Asfar had a brother named Shirzad, and grew up in an environment where "
Iranian culture, memories of the glories of the
Iranian Empire, were alive among them." Like many other Gilakis and Daylamites, Asfar was not a Muslim—he was in fact a nationalist, who loathed Arab rule and admired the Iranian Empire. According to the 10th-century
Arab historian
al-Masudi, most of the
Daylamite and Gilaki leaders, who were adherents of
Zoroastrian and Iranian paganism, had become
atheists. Asfar was one of the many Gilaki leaders that entered into the service of the
Alids, after establishing their rule over
Tabaristan,
Gilan, and
Daylam.
Rise to power Asfar is first mentioned in 917, during the succession disputes for control in Tabaristan after the death of the Alid ruler
Hasan al-Utrush (r. 914–917). Eventually,
Hasan ibn Qasam (called ''al-da'i al-saghir'', "the lesser missionary") managed to emerge victorious. It was around this period, that the
Samanid Empire was seeking to expand their power from
Transoxiana and
Khorasan into northern Iran, opposing
Zaydi Shia Islam there whilst advocating the Sunni movement against it.
Reign and downfall Asfar now expanded his domains over
Ray,
Qazvin and other parts of
Jibal, initially apparently as a delegate of the Samanids, but thereafter as a sovereign ruler, assuming the emblem of kingship at Ray in disregard of Nasr II and the
Abbasid caliph,
al-Muqtadir (r. 908–932). He reportedly killed a great number of the citizens of Qazvin, burned the markets, demolished mosques and killed the
muezzin, and prohibited the
salah. Furthermore, he enforced a poll-tax on the whole population of the city, along with traders visiting from other countries, thus acquiring a vast sum. He also appointed his lieutenant and compatriot
Mardavij as the governor of
Zanjan. , where Asfar had left his vast treasure. In 930, Mardavij along with Asfar's brother, Shirzad, were ordered to capture
Tarom, the capital of the
Sallarid ruler
Muhammad ibn Musafir. During the siege, Mardavij, on the urging of Makan and Muhammad, betrayed Asfar by revolting against him. With the aid of Muhammad and Makan, Mardavij defeated and killed Shirzad, including other members of the Varudavand clan. He then marched towards Qazvin, the residence of Asfar. However, Asfar managed to flee. Mardavij thus founded the
Ziyarid dynasty, and became ruler of Asfar's former territories. Asfar was chased into Khorasan, being left no choice but to leave the treasure which he had assembled in the
castle of
Alamut in Daylam. When Asfar arrived at
Bayhaq, however, he went back, aiming to recover his treasure at Alamut. But when he entered Talaqan, a town in Daylam near Qazvin, he was overwhelmed and killed by Mardavij, most likely in 931. == Notes ==