By Mohammad Ashraf Kiani
In Loving Memory of
Ashraf Kayani
Beloved Father and Grandfather
The crown used by Kiani Kings of Iran, now preserved in the national museum. Crafted from red velvet adorned with thousands of gems, it stands 32 cm in height without the aigrette, with a width of 19.5 cm—a testament to Persian royal artistry.
The illustrated history of earlier kings, known as The Epic of Kings, was completed by the Iranian poet and philosopher Ferdowsi in 1010 AD—nearly a millennium ago. The prominent Pakistani poet Hafeez Jalandhari wrote in the foreword of Shahnama-e-Islam:
“Kia Ferdowsi-e-marhoom nain Iran ko Zindah — Khuda tofeeq day to main karoon Islam ko zindah”
Hafeez drew inspiration from Ferdowsi's epic, which documents the Kiani Kings in remarkable detail. Many Kiani and Gakhar families remain unaware of their ancestors' glorious past. This research, spanning over twenty years of travel and study, seeks to illuminate that heritage.
Identity can be established through two complementary methods:
Through proven historical documentation that anyone may research and verify. The author has endeavored to compile these records faithfully, though refinements remain welcome.
DNA analysis revealing ancestral connections across continents. Kiani and Gakhar descendants may exist in Ukraine, Turkey, China, America, India, Arabia, and beyond—each free to explore their Y-chromosome lineage.
Kianis and Gakhars exist throughout the world. By understanding our shared heritage, we may foster brotherhood founded on justice and equality for all humanity.
According to Sultan Raja Zahur Akhtar's Kai-gohar nama, the Gakhars are of Turkish-Iranian origin, forming the Royal Kiani dynasty. The family migrated from Central Asia (Tooran) circa 10,000 BC as Aryan-speaking peoples to Turkey. Around 8,000 BC, they moved to Turkmenistan, and due to seismic activity, relocated to Kurdistan by 6,500 BC. After several generations, they settled in Kehan, Iran, establishing the Royal Archimedean Dynasty around 6,000 BC.
The dynasty derives its name from 'KAI'—prefix to royal names like Kai-Khusro, Kai-Qabad, and Kai-Gohar across centuries. Their descendants now reside in Pakistan, India, Kashmir, Tibet, China, Turkey, Central Asian states, Kurdistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and beyond.
The Sassanid dynasty represented the Kiani Kings of Persia, ruling for centuries. They saw themselves as successors to Darius and Cyrus, pursuing aggressive expansion and reclaiming eastern territories from the Kushans.
Unlike Parthia, Sassanid Persia was highly centralized, with society organized into rigid castes: Priests, Soldiers, Scribes, and Commoners. Zoroastrianism became the official state religion, spreading throughout the provinces.
Persia's conquest by Islamic Arab armies marked the transition to medieval Persia. King Yazdegerd, the last Sassanid ruler, fell to Muslim forces in 651 AD.
Two daughters of King Yazdgard were brought to Madina. Ali suggested to Umer that they be freed to marry whom they chose. Princess Shahr Banu married Hussain ibn Ali, while her sister wed Imam Hassan ibn Ali.
Ali told Hussain: “Care for this woman well, for from her will come an Imam—Zain-ul-Abidin—who will be among God's finest creations and father to all Imams after him.” These marriages, authorized by Caliph Omer in Ali's presence, mark the beginning of Muslim-Kiani relations.
The Umayyad Dynasty governed the largest empire in history to that point—spanning from Spain to the Indus, from the Aral Sea to southern Arabia. Yet they borrowed extensively from Persian and Byzantine administrative systems.
Arab conquest transformed Persian life. Arabic became the lingua franca, Islam supplanted Zoroastrianism, mosques rose throughout the land, and intermarriage between Persians and Arabs became common. A new linguistic, religious, and cultural synthesis emerged.
Around 1002 AD, Kianis migrated to the Potohar region, ruling for eight centuries. Historical texts—Raja Yaqoob Tariq's Tareekh-e-Gakhran, Sultan Zahur Akhtar's Kaygohar Nama, Duni Chand's Persian writings, and Mughal royal documents—chronicle Kiani rule between the Jhelum and Sindh rivers in what is now Pakistan.
The wars and religious control that had fueled Sassanid success eventually contributed to decline. The White Huns conquered eastern regions in the late 400s, while the Mazdakites revolted. Khosrau I recovered the empire and expanded into Antioch and Yemen.
Between 605 and 629, Sassanids successfully annexed the Levant and Egypt, pushing into Anatolia. Their armies reached Constantinople but could not defeat the Byzantines. Emperor Heraclius outflanked Sassanid forces in Asia Minor, handing them a crushing defeat in Northern Mesopotamia—this Persian defeat is mentioned in the Qur'an as a victory for believers.
Khosro II (Parviz) was assassinated in 629, an incident allegedly foretold by Muhammad as punishment for tearing his message and humiliating his messengers. After Kavadh II's death, civil war erupted following defeat at Nineveh in 642. The Sassanid shahs lost control, and the empire collapsed.
In 750, the Abbasid family ousted the Umayyads. By this time, Iranians dominated not only the bureaucracy but all branches of government. Persian dominance led to the spread of Persian culture, science, mathematics, and medicine throughout the Arab world.
Caliph Al-Ma'mun, whose mother was Iranian, moved his capital to Merv in eastern Persia. He later founded the Baghdad House of Wisdom, based on the Persian Jondishapour. This scientific movement directly impacted the European Renaissance centuries later.
The Iranian scholar Khwarazmi contributed heavily to algebra, earning the title “Father of Algebra.” He, along with hundreds of other prominent Persian scholars, carried the torch of civilization for centuries.
In 819, the Persian Samanids conquered East Persia—the first native rulers after Arab conquest. They made Samarqand, Bukhara, and Herat their capitals, reviving Persian language and culture. Firdawsi completed the Shah Nama epic poem in 1010, retelling Persian kings' history.
In 913, the Buwayhid tribal confederation from the Caspian shores conquered West Persia, making Shiraz their capital. Persia became one nation in an increasingly diverse Islamic world rather than merely a province.
The Seljuk Turks invaded from the northeast in 1037, creating a vast Middle Eastern empire. They built Isfahan's fabulous Friday Mosque. Omar Khayyám, Persia's most famous writer, composed his Rubayat during Seljuk times.
In the early 1200s, Turks from Khwarezmia near the Aral Sea seized control. The Khwarezmid Empire ruled briefly before facing history's most feared conqueror: Genghis Khan.
In 1218, Genghis Khan sent ambassadors to Otrar, but the governor executed them. Out of revenge, Genghis sacked Otrar in 1219, then Samarkand and other northeastern cities.
Genghis' grandson, Hulagu Khan, conquered Persia, Baghdad, and much of the Middle East in 1255-1258, creating the Ilkhanate. After Ilkhan Ghazan converted to Islam in 1295, he renounced allegiance to the Great Khan. The Ilkhans patronized arts and learning in Persian Islamic tradition.
The last Ilkhan's death in 1335 ended the dynasty, splintering into small states. This opened Persia to Timur the Lame (Tamerlane), who invaded around 1370 and plundered until his death in 1405. In Isfahan, he slaughtered 70,000 people to build towers from their skulls. Persia was left in ruins.
The Safavid Dynasty from Azerbaijan founded a new native Persian empire. Shah Ismail I overthrew the White Sheep Turkmen rulers, expanding Persia to include all of present-day Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, plus much of Afghanistan. Ottoman forces halted expansion at Chaldiran in 1514.
In 1588, Shah Abbas the Great ascended, instituting cultural and political renaissance. He moved his capital to Isfahan, which became one of Islam's most important cultural centers. He made peace with the Ottomans, reformed the army, drove out the Uzbeks, and captured the Portuguese base at Ormus.
The Safavids were Shi'a Muslims, and under them Persia became the largest Shi'ite country in the Muslim world—a position Iran holds today. The early 1600s saw a final border agreed with Ottoman Turkey, still forming today's Turkey-Iran border.
Under 18th-century Kiani kings, natural philosophy and mathematics of ancient Greeks were furthered and preserved. Persia became a center for manufacturing scientific instruments, retaining its quality reputation into the 19th century.
In 1722, Safavid Persia collapsed under European invasion and Afghan revolt. After temporary revival under Nadir Shah, Persia found relative stability in the Kiani Qajar dynasty, ruling from 1779 to 1925.
Persia lost hope to compete with industrial Europe, sandwiched between the expanding Russian Empire and British Empire. Each carved out pieces that became Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenia, Tajikestan, Uzbekistan, and parts of Afghanistan.
The Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 formalized spheres of influence. Meanwhile, the young Kiani Shah granted concessions to William Knox D'Arcy (later Anglo-Persian Oil Company) to explore newly-discovered oil fields at Masjid-al-Salaman, which started production in 1914.
Sultan Ahmad Shah, the last shah of the Qajar dynasty, was born 21 January 1898 in Tabriz. He succeeded to the throne at age eleven when his father, Mohammad Ali Shah, was forced into exile after defeat against revolutionary forces in 1909.
A kind and learned man, Sultan Ahmad Shah tried scrupulously to rule as a constitutional monarch. He appointed the highly educated Dr. Musaddaq as minister, striving for efficient government. The occupation of Iran during World War I (1914–18) by Russian, British, and Ottoman troops was a blow from which he never effectively recovered, though he successfully expelled the occupation forces.
In a British-sponsored coup d'état, Reza Khan became the dominant political figure. Ahmad Shah was formally deposed by the Majles (national consultative assembly) in October 1925 while away in Europe. The Majles declared the Qajar dynasty terminated.
He was requested to accept one million pounds to sign resignation papers, but refused.
Turkey's President Mustafa Kamal offered Turkish troops for throne restoration, but Ahmad Shah, being a nationalist leader, refused.
He died on 21 February 1930 at age 32 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, and is buried in the family crypt in Karbala, Iraq.
In 1925, Reza Shah Pahlavi seized power from the Kiani Qajars and established the new Pahlavi dynasty. Britain and the Soviet Union remained influential powers into the early Cold War years.
Reza Pahlavi asked the world to call the country Iran in 1935. In 1959, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi announced that both Persia and Iran could be used interchangeably.
The dynasty ended with the Islamic Revolution, when Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to establish the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979.
Kianis or Kayanis, who call themselves Gakkhars or Rajas, are Muslims found in Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Khanpur-Hazara, and Kashmir. Sultan Kay Gohar, who accompanied Sultan Mahmood of Ghazni, descended from Kayanians and Kay Kobad. Their language was Persian.
Documentary evidence from royal decrees of Babur, Humayoon, and Akbar, plus British records, prove their independent rule for hundreds of years. They were strong and trustworthy allies of Mughals and Muslim forces in the sub-continent.
The first Muslim invader, Mahmood of Ghazni (979–1030 AD), gifted the ancient city to Gakkhar Chief Sultan Kay Gohar. Jhanda Khan, another Gakkhar Chief, restored the town and named it Rawalpindi after the village Rawal in 1493 AD.
Islamabad lies against the Margalla Hills backdrop. Archaeological discoveries suggest a distinct culture flourished here 4,000 years ago. Material remains prove a Buddhist establishment contemporary to Taxila existed here.
The city went into oblivion due to Hun devastation. The first Muslim invader, Mahmood of Ghazni, gifted it to Gakkhar Chief Sultan Kay Gohar. The town remained deserted until Jhanda Khan restored it, naming it Rawalpindi in 1493 AD.
Rawalpindi is Islamabad's sister city, and both are known as twin cities. Official Mughal records prove Gakhars were independent rulers of major parts of Pakistan and friends of Mughal Kings.
Sher Shah and his son Salim Shah fought with Gakhars, killing Sultan Sarang Khan in 1547, a Gakhar chief buried in the neglected Rewat Fort near Islamabad.
Rohtas Fort has developed into a small town with several thousand people. Its size is evident from more than ten schools and twelve mosques within its walls.
Gakhars knew Sher Shah was building the fort to fight them, so they conducted attacks on his forces. Stones for construction could not be procured until an agreement was reached: Sher Shah Suri would pay one Gold Ashrafi (equal to one gold dinar) as cost for one masonry stone used in Rohtas Fort's construction.
The Persian Empire encompasses numerous historic dynasties ruling Persia (Iran). From the proto-Elamite Empire through the Medes to the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great—the first commonly termed “Persian”—this legacy spans millennia.
The Sassanid (Kiani) dynasty was the first native Persian dynasty since the Achaemenids. They regarded themselves as rightful heirs to Darius and Cyrus, pursuing expansion vigorously. Their armies even captured Roman Emperor Valerian in 260 AD.
La Perron's History of the Parsees (p. 27) recounts a 7th-century Persian migration to China under Feroz, son of King Yazdezard—possibly when ancestors of another Kianian dynasty settled in Kashmir and Tibet.
In 1010 AD, the Iranian poet Ferdowsi completed the Shahnameh, detailing Kiani Kings from the Sasanian era. Chinese sources corroborate Feroz's (Peroz) presence in China.
Mughal royal correspondence reveals the Gakhars' status throughout Mughal rule. Works including Raja Yaqoob Tariq's Tareekh-e-Gakhran, Sultan Zahur Akhtar's Kaygohar Nama, and Duni Chand's Persian manuscripts preserve invaluable records of Kiani sovereignty.
"There have been Prophets from Adam to Muhammad, and some may have been unidentified, like Cyrus the Great, Buddha, and Zoroastrians, among many others.
The world's first charter of human rights was given to humanity by Cyrus the Great, who is also accepted as Zulqarnain (Dhul-Qarnayn) in the Holy Qur'an. His enlightened rule established principles of religious tolerance, freedom, and justice that would echo through millennia.
Ferdowsi's epic Shahnameh immortalizes the legendary kings and heroes of ancient Persia, whose stories blend history and mythology into a magnificent tapestry of Persian heritage.
These legendary figures, immortalized in Ferdowsi's verses, represent the valor, wisdom, and tragic beauty of Persian mythology.
The Kiani dynasty included remarkable queens who ruled Persia with wisdom and strength. Purandokht, one such Kiani Queen, wore a distinct crown from the traditional Kiani Crown, symbolizing her unique place in Persian history.