The old capital of Persia under the Sasanians, near the ruins of Persepolis.
By the early twelfth century Ibn al-Balkhi found it reduced to a small place. What matters in 1200 is the castle of Istakhr on the crag above it, one of the castles of the Marvdasht plain (with Ishkanwan, Shikasta and Shahrak): the Salghurids' treasury and state prison (the atabeg Zangi kept the Seljuk prince Mahmud ibn Malikshah there as a hostage-claimant). In 614/1217 Sa'd has to cede Istakhr and Ishkanwan to the Khwarazmshah.
Who holds it
- Name
- Not named
- Title
- Castellan for the atabeg
- Since
- Not pinned
- Confidence
- medium
Lord in 1200
The atabeg's castellan holds the castle; the old town is a small place.
How things stand that morning
An atabeg's fortress and treasury.
Charter
None known: the towns of the atabegs have no charters; the governor, the judge (qadi) and the market inspector (muhtasib) answer to the ruler.
Council
No sworn council; the notables (a'yan), the qadi and the headman (ra'is) speak for the town. Names for 1199-1200 not pinned.
Communities
Persian villagers.
Fairs and markets
Daily or weekly markets; no fair dates recorded.
Militia
Not recorded for 1199-1200.
Walls and castle
The castle of Istakhr on its crag; the old town walls in ruin.
Trade and crafts
Farming of the Marvdasht plain.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Castles well attested; the town's state in 1200 is described only in general terms.
Primary sources for Salghurids
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Comfort of Hearts and Sign of Joy: a History of the Seljuks, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Rawandi (Ravandi) (1203 to 1204, dedicated to Kaykhusraw I of Rum). A history of the Great Seljuks from their origins to the death of the last sultan Toghril III in 1194, begun at Hamadan and finished for Kaykhusraw of Rum when the author moved to Anatolia. Read online
- Dictionary of Countries, Yaqut al-Hamawi (1224 to 1228, at Aleppo). An alphabetical gazetteer of every place Yaqut had read of or seen: he travelled as a bookseller's agent through Syria, Iraq, Persia, Khurasan and Khwarazm (about 1213 to 1220) and settled in Aleppo. Read online
Sources and studies
- C. E. Bosworth, 'The Political and Dynastic History of the Iranian World (A.D. 1000-1217)', Cambridge History of Iran 5 (1968), pp. 167-175, 184-185
- E. Mercil, 'Salgurlular', TDV Islam Ansiklopedisi (after Muhammad b. Ibrahim, Wassaf, Zarkub and Mercil, Fars Atabegleri Salgurlular, 1975)
- G. Le Strange, The Lands of the Eastern Caliphate (1905), chapters XVII-XXIV (Fars, Kirman, Makran) after Istakhri, Muqaddasi, Ibn al-Balkhi, Yaqut and Mustawfi
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.