Abu Ali Simjur -Muzaffar al-Dawleh

Abu Ali Simjur, titled “Imad al-Dawleh” and “Muzaffar al-Dawleh”, of Simjurid dynasty which ruled for 80 years over Khurasan. He was a Simjurid scholar and great amir of Samanids. His father Abul Hasan Muhammad Simjur was the commander-in-chief of Khurasan in Samanid period. There is not information of his birth date and the first years of his life, it is said that he studied under his father and learnt the Quran in the presence of Abul Hasan Muhammad Muqri who was an outstanding figure in Khurasan. In 972, was appointed as the ruler of Heart by ####his father who was at that time the commander-in-chief of Khurasan. After his father’s death in 989, he became the ruler of Nishapour. His opponents stimulated his brother “Abul Qasem Simjur” to go against Abu Ali, but Abul Qasemnot only gave him his father’s slaves and treasure but also obeyed his brother. In 992 Abu Ali requested the commanding of Khurasan from Nuh Samani and Nuh accepted, then gave him the title “Imad al-Dawleh”. All the southern parts of Oxus were ruled by him. In 993 samanids failed, Nuh Samani escaped from Bukhara and asked Abu Ali for help but he refused. In 996 Nishapou was attacked by Abu Ali’s army, at that time Mahmud Ibn Sebuktigin (sultan of Ghaznawid dynasty; b. 971, r. 998-1030) was the amir of Khurasan. When Abu Ali’s army arrived Nishapour, the people supported them and fought against Mahmud. Therefore he went to Heart but his father Sebuktigin attacked Abu Ali and defeated his army. Abu Ali was imprisoned in Chorasmia but then released by Nuh Samani, then Nuh imprisoned him again. In 998 was killed by the order of Sebuktigin. Abu Ali was going to weaken the Samanids in order to rule over all the parts but was prohibited to gainpower by Ghaznawids and Qarakhanids. He loved poetry and wrote poems in Persian. “Abul Faraj Sagzi” and “ Abul Qasem Unsuri (d. 1049)” are the most famous poets of his court. He had also relationship with Saheb Ibn Abbad (vizier and man of letters of the Buyid dynasty).

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