Civilizations in Review: Qarinvand Dynasty

Known as one of the last Zoroastrian dynasties to exist prior to the Islamic Iranian dynasties, the Qarinvand Dynasty ruled parts of the Tabaristan highlands in today’s northern Iran. Tabaristan was ruled by the Dabuyid Dynasty through Dabuyid Ispahbads. As one of two Dabuyid vassal kingdoms, the other being Bavand, the Qarinvand Dynasty ruled from the 550s until the 11th-century, persisting even after the Abbasids defeated the Dabuyid ruler and annexed Tabaristan. Little is known about Tabaristan’s history under the Dabuyid Ispahbads, especially the Qarinvand Dynasty. Nevertheless, its history can be understood through linked dynasties including the Bavand, Abbasid, and Dabuyid dynasties. Thank you to Courtney Blankenship for this article.

---