Adurbadagan and Arran (Caucasian Albania) in the Late Sasanian Period
Author(s): Mahir Khalifa-zadeh
Abstract: The article considers the Sasanian King Khusraw I Anushirwan (Pahlavi: XusrÅ I AnŚīrvÄn) reforms to improve the empire’s military and administrative architecture during the wars with Byzantium and the Turks. The author discusses the establishment of the region or kust-Ä« Ä€durbÄdagÄn, which allowed the nomination of ArrÄn’s general. The author believes that it was a key element in the Sassanian strategy to enforce both central and military power in the defense sensitive Caucasia challenged by the Byzantium and nomads. The reforms pulled ArrÄn (Albania) to be closer to the Sasanian crown, enforcing the dynastic ties between Sasanian shÄhanshÄh and ArrÄnshÄh. These reforms facilitated the incorporation of Arranian (Albanian) troops into the Sasanian Army under Ä€durbÄdagÄn’s general command to shield Ä’rÄnšahr from the Khazar’s and Turk’s incursions. The author argues that the reform initiated the projecting of Ä€durbÄdagÄn’s name, military, and administrative functions in ArrÄn forming a strong interrelationship between the southern and northern sides of the Araxes as the entire Ä€durbÄdagÄn šahr. Since Late Antiquity, Ä€durbÄdagÄn and ArrÄn became interchangeable names and were in use on the northern bank of the Araxes.
Mahir Khalifa-zadeh. Adurbadagan and Arran (Caucasian Albania) in the Late Sasanian Period. Int J Hist 2023;5(2):15-18. DOI: 10.22271/27069109.2023.v5.i2a.220
