Spahan (province)
| Spāhān | |||||
| Province of the Sassanian Empire | |||||
|
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| Capital | Spahan | ||||
| Historical era | Antiquity | ||||
| • | Established | 224 | |||
| • | Annexed by the Rashidun Caliphate | 642 | |||
| Today part of |  Iran |
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Spahan, also known as Parthau was a Sasanian province in Late Antiquity, that lay within central Iran, almost corresponding to the present-day Isfahan Province in Iran.
Contents
Etymology
Spahān is attested in various Middle Persian seals and inscriptions, including that of Zoroastrian priest Kartir.[1] The present-day name (Isfahan) is the Arabicized form of Ispahan (unlike Middle Persian, New Persian does not allow initial consonant clusters such as sp[2]). The region appears with the abbreviation GD (Gay, Southern Media) on Sasanian numismatics. In Ptolemy's Geographia it appears as Aspadana, translating to "place of gathering for the army". It is believed that Spahān derives from spādānām 'the armies', Old Persian plural of spāda (from which derives spāh 'army' in Middle Persian).
History
Spahan became a part of the Sasanian Empire in 224, after Ardashir I (r. r. 224–242) seized its capital and killed its ruler, Shadh-Shapur. During the reign of Ardashir's son and successor Shapur I (r. 240-270), a certain Varzin was appointed as the governor of the province.[1][3]
References
Sources
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