'Adud al-Dawla
Emir of the Buyids from 949 to 983
Who was 'Adud al-Dawla?
Fannā (Panāh) Khusraw (Persian: پناه (فنا) خسرو), better known by his laqab of ʿAḍud al-Dawla 'pillar of the dynasty'; 24 September 936 – 26 March 983) was an emir of the Buyid dynasty, ruling from 949 to 983. Fanna Khusraw was born in Isfahan on 24 September 936. He was the son of Rukn al-Dawla, the brother of Imad al-Dawla and Mu'izz al-Dawla. According to Ibn Isfandiyar, Fanna Khusraw's mother was the daughter of the Daylamite Firuzanid nobleman al-Hasan ibn al-Fairuzan, who was the cousin of the prominent Daylamite military leader Makan ibn Kaki. At the height of his power, he ruled an empire stretching from Makran to Yemen and the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In 948, Fanna Khusraw was chosen by his uncle Imad al-Dawla as his successor because he had no heir.
Imad al-Dawla died in December 949, and thus Fanna Khusraw became the new ruler of Fars. However, this appointment was not accepted by a group of Daylamite officers, who shortly rebelled against Fanna Khusraw. Fannā (Panāh) Khusraw, better known by his laqab of ʿAḍud al-Dawla was an emir of the Buyid dynasty, ruling from 949 to 983.
Historical significance
He is widely regarded as the greatest monarch of the Buyid dynasty, and by the end of his reign he was the most powerful ruler in the Middle East.