Bayat (name)

The surname Bayat or Baiyat is derived from clans in Iran and Afghanistan.

Clans

Bayat is the name of a tribe in Iran which traces its origin to the 12th century. The first location of the Bayat tribe was the city of Nishapur in the south of Khorasan, a state in the north-east of Iran. The Bayat tribe moved in 16th century to three different locations after attacks by Mongol forces.

The Bayat tribe made war with the Mongols, killing Genghis Khan's son-in-law with his army. Then Khan attacked Nishapur with all his forces, killing many Bayat tribesmen, and the rest of the Bayat tribe escaped to the mountains around Nishapur.

From there, one group went east and north-east, so that the surname Bayat is still found in Afghanistan and India. A second group went south-west towards Isfahan, and the surname Bayat is prominent in Arak, Isfahan and Shiraz. The third group went north-west, and in Azerbaijan they divided in two; one part of the group took the north way as far as Turkey, and second part went west into Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

Bayat was the name of one the 24 Oghuz Turkish clans purported to descend from Oghuz Khaqan according to OghuznameFact|date=February 2007 and the oral legends prior to that book's writing in early 14th century. It is also the name of several localities and persons often in connection with the clan or the legend. In Afghanistan, the clan is known to have who originally emigrated into the country with Nader Shah.

People

Bayat is a common surname today in Afghanistan, Iran, Azerbaijan and to a lesser extent in Turkey and Turkmenistan where it carries the meaning "Knight" or "Chevalier".

Notable figures from this clan include:
* Abbas Bayat (born 1947), Iranian businessman
* Asef Bayat, Iranian professor of sociology
* Ehsan Bayat, Afghan-American entrepreneur, owner of Ariana Television Network and founder of the Bayat Foundation [ [http://www.worldpress.org/Asia/2526.cfm The Bayat Foundation - Making a Difference in Afghanistan] . October 18 2006. WorldPress.org.]
* Morteza Gholi Bayat (1890-1958), former Prime Minister of Iran

See also

* Bayat (disambiguation page)
* Azerbaijani people
* Qizilbash

References