Sykes' History of Persia Vol 2 (pdf) - Heritage Institute

84 HISTORY OF PERSIA
broke out in every part of the Empire, and the disintegration
of the Caliphate was hastened by the anarchy
at headquarters, which paralysed all attempts at repression
and left the provincial governors without support.
The Rise of the Saffar Dynasty. During the Caliphate
of Mutawakkil a certain Salih ibn Nasr collected a body
of men in Sistan under the pretext of crushing an outbreak
of Kharijites, and seized the province. The
Tahirid prince marched to Sistan in person and succeeded
in putting an end to the fighting between Salih and the
Kharijites, but upon his departure Salih again took the
field and was apparently allowed to hold the province
without further molestation.
Among
his most able adherents was a certain Yakub
bin Lais, known as Saffar, or " the Coppersmith," from
the trade pursued by his family. This extraordinary
adventurer, who while still a boy was noted for his
generosity, upon reaching manhood took to highway
robbery, which has frequently been a road to distinction
in Persia. His generosity and courage speedily brought
him success and a large following, which he placed at the
disposal of Salih, and in A.H. 247 (861), the year
in which
Mutawakkil was assassinated, he became commander or
the army of Sistan under Salih's successor. His first
success was the capture of Herat in A.H. 253 (876), and
l
having overrun and annexed Kerman and subsequently
Fars, he soon became ruler of an extensive kingdom.
He founded a short-lived dynasty which is remembered
with much affection
by Persians, both because they
consider it to be the first Persian dynasty after the Arab
conquest, and also because it sprang from Sistan, the
home of Rustam and of the Keianian line.
Motamid, A.H. 256-279 (870-892). After nine years
of anarchy, Motamid, the eldest surviving son of
Mutawakkil, was elected Caliph.
The Court returned
to Baghdad, where Turkish influence was less strong,
and guided by Motamid's brother, Muaffak, who actually
1
Many years ago I was allowed to see and make a precis of an old manuscript
history of Bam by a certain Sayyid Tahir-u-Din ibn Shams-u-Din of Bam. In it
and the
Yakub and his brother are praised, the former for improving the city of Jiruft
latter for building a mosque in it.