House of Kayus

The Kayusid or House of Kayus (also "Kâvos") or Kâvusakân (Kurdish: Hozi Kavusakan) (226-380) was a semi-independent Kurdish kingdom in central and southern Kurdistan established in 226 CE. The House of Kayus was established after an agreement between Kurdish principalities and kingdoms and the Persian Empire, following a two-year war between the Empire and the local kingdoms. A local Kurdish prince, Kayus, was reinstated tributary king to rule the Kurds. Along with Corduene, Kayus was among the last semi-independent Kurdish kingdoms during the Sassanid Dynasty. After the fall of Sassanids and the Arab conquest, new Kurdish kingdoms such as Hasanwayhids were established around 10th century in the same region.

Prior to the establishment of the House of Kayus, a number of unified Kurdish principalities and kingdoms from Barzan and Hakkari to Mukriyan and Shahrazur ruled under the leadership of the kingdom of Kerm (serpent) centered at Kermanshah. In AD 224, Ardashir I, founder of the Persian Sassanian Empire, challenged the kingdom of Kermanshah in a two-year war before finally receiving suzerainty from a number of Kurdish kingdoms across the region. The House of Kayus was established in AD 226 and remained a semi-independent kingdom until AD 380 before Ardashir II removed the dynasty's last ruling member.

A number of tombs cut into living rock in the mountains of the Kermanshah region is believed to date back from the House of Kayus. The most famous carvings in Kermanshah are at Taq Bustan believed to be the historic site of the dynasty.

References

* Izady, Mehrdad R. Kurds, A Concise Handbook. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis, 1992.
* Afshar, Iraj. Kermanshahan and Its Ancient Civilization. Tehran, 1992.