Saman Khuda facts for kids

Saman Khuda (also known as Saman Khoda or Saman-khudat) was an important Persian noble who lived in the 700s. His family, called the House of Saman, later became powerful rulers of a large part of Persia, forming the Samanid Empire.

Saman Khuda was a Dehqan, which means he was a kind of landowner or noble, from a village called Saman. This village was in the Balkh province, which is in what we now call northern Afghanistan.

In the early 700s, Saman Khuda traveled to Merv. This city was very important because it was where the governor of Khorasan lived. The governor was named Asad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Qasri.

Saman Khuda was born into the Zoroastrian religion. However, he was very impressed by how religious and good Governor Asad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Qasri was. Because of this, Saman Khuda decided to change his religion and became a Muslim. He even named his son Asad, possibly to honor the governor who inspired him.

The Samanid Family Rises to Power

Later, a powerful ruler called Caliph al-Mamun (who ruled from 786 to 833) made Saman Khuda's grandsons governors of different areas. These grandsons were the sons of Saman Khuda's son, Asad. They became governors of important cities like Samarkand, Ferghana, Shash, Ustrushana, and Herat. They received these positions because they helped the Caliph stop a rebellion.

This was the beginning of the famous House of Saman. Saman Khuda's great-grandson, named Isma'il ibn Ahmad (who lived from 849 to 907), became a very important ruler, known as the Amir, of lands like Transoxiana and Khorasan.

Saman Khuda's Ancestors

Saman Khuda was connected to a very old and respected family. He was a descendant, about four or five generations later, of a noble named Bahram Chobin. Bahram Chobin belonged to the ancient House of Mihran and played a big role in the history of the later Sassanian Empire.

Family Tree of Saman Khuda

This chart shows how Saman Khuda was connected to his ancestors, including the famous Bahram Chobin.