Samanid Empire

The Samanid Empire (Persian: سامانیان, romanized: Sāmāniyān) was a Persianate Sunni Muslim empire, ruled by a dynasty of Iranian dehqan origin, from 819 to 999. The empire was centred in Khorasan and Transoxiana, at its greatest extent included northeastern Iran and Central Asia.

Four brothers: Nuh, Ahmad, Yahya, and Ilyas, founded the Samanid state. Each of them ruled territories under Abbasid suzerainty. In 892, Ismail Samani, united the Samanids under his rule, thus effectively putting an end to the feudal system used by the Samanids. It was also under him that the Samanids became independent of the Abbasids. However, by 945, the government had fallen under the de facto control of the Turkic military slave faction, and the Samanid family's authority had become purely symbolic.

The Samanid Empire is part of the Iranian Intermezzo, which saw the creation of a Persianate culture and identity that brought Iranian speech and traditions into the fold of the Islamic world. This later contributed to the formation of the Turko-Persian culture.

The Samanids were patrons of the arts, leading to advancements in science and literature, and as a result attracted scholars such as Rudaki, Ferdowsi, and Avicenna. Under Samanid rule, Bukhara, rivalled Baghdad in its glory. Scholars note that the Samanids did more to revive Persian language and culture than did the Buyids or the Saffarids, all the while continuing to use Arabic for science and religion. They considered themselves to be descendants of the Sasanian Empire. In a famous edict, the Samanids declare that "here, in this region, the language is Persian, and the kings of this realm are Persian kings."