Ismail Ibn Ahmad Samani

Isma'il ibn Ahmad (b. 849. d. November 907) was the Samanid amir of Transoxiana (892-907) and Khorasan (900-907). His reign saw the emergence of the Samanids as a powerful force. He was the son of Ahmad ibn Asad and a descendant of Saman Khuda, the founder of the Samanid dynasty who renounced Zoroastrianism and embraced Islam. Isma'il was active to the north and east, steadily spreading Samanid influence. Ismail was successful in establishing economic and commercial development and organized a powerful army. It was said ####that he made his capital Bukhara into one of Islam's most glorious cities. as Ismail attracted scholars, artists, and doctors of law into the region. The first translation of the Qu'ran into Persian was completed during Samanid rule. In 893, Ismail took the city of Talas, the capital of the Qarluq Turks. It was probably in that same year that he also brought an end to the Ustrushana dynasty. Ismail and other Samanid rulers propagated Islam amongst the inhabitants and as many as 30,000 tents of Turks came to profess Islam. During his reign he subjugated numerous regional states to the east, directly incorporating some within his boundaries and retaining the local rulers of others as vassals. Khwarazm to the north was partitioned; the southern part remained autonomous under its Afrigid rulers, while the northern part was governed by a Samanid official. Another campaign in 903 further secured the Samanid boundaries. These campaigns kept the heart of his state safe from Turkish raids, and allowed Muslim missionaries to expand their activities in the region. For all intents and purposes he was an independent ruler, although he never took any title higher than that of amir.

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