PERS IAN Sready, in about 670, Isaac of Nineveh described the world as a place
of transition for successive generations in terms that might have been
meant as an epitaph for the Persian aristocracy:They have entered it as an inn for a night and left it as travelers
on a journey over the whole earth, without thinking of return. Some
of them kings, some governors, some wise, some honored. Some of
them scribes, some orators, some judges, some commanders of ar-
mies. Some of them possessors of riches, some lords of goods. And
now after their death there is neither the order of their degrees, nor
the crowns of their government; nor their dreadful thrones, nor
their lordly pleasures, nor the praise of those who honored them .... 162The change in status and social context was even greater for Persian
captives and defectors who settled in the garrison cities as the mawali
or allies (Ar. altlaf) of Arab clans or tribes. Mawali tended to be
integrated into Arab tribal society as individuals and acquired the
status of their patrons or the clan to which they were attached. Some
of them were able to rise to important administrative or military
positions by the Sufyani period. The only Persians to keep a group
identity in Arab society were the military units that became allies of
the tribe of Tamim: the J:lamra' at Kufa and the Asawira at Basra.
They were valued as allies, and the argument at Basra over which
Arab tribe or clan they would join produced a split among the Asawira
between Shiroe al-Uswari, who wanted to settle with Khalid ibn al-
Mu'ammar and the Banii Sadiis of the tribe of Bakr ibn Wa'il, and
Siyah, who refused. Siyah won and the Asawira settled with the Banii
Sa'd of the tribe of Tamim. Lots were laid out for them to build homes
along the canal called the Nahr al-Asawira, which was dug for them
by 'Abdullah ibn 'Amir, while Ziyad built the masjid of the Asawira.
Shiroe went on to establish rather close personal relations with the
family of Ziyad in Basra and married a woman named Marjana,
possibly the Sasanian princess called Manjana who was taken captive
at Khaniqin. She had borne 'Ubaydullah to Ziyad, and Shiroe built
162 A. J. Wensinck, "Mystic Treatises by lsaac of Nineveh," Verhandelingen der
Koninkli;ke Akademie van Wetenschappen te Amsterdam 23 (Amsterdam, 1923), 154-- This is clearly related to the theme of death the leveler in andarz (M.P., advice)
literature where the departure of the greatness of lords, generals, and chieftains is
described in similar terms. See Tarapore, Pahlavi Andarz-Namak (Bombay, 1933), pp.
16-17.