Muhammad III of Shirvan

In 981/82, Muhammad III took the town of Qabala from its ruler, Abd al-Barr ibn Anbasa. In 982, he took control of Barda'a, and made Musa ibn Ali his lieutenant. In 983, a wall around the town of Shabaran was constructed under Muhammad IV's orders.{{sfn|Minorsky|1958|p=29}} In 989/90, the inhabitants of the town of al-Bab became enthusiastic supporters of Muhammad al-Tuzi, a preacher who had arrived from Gilan. The latter soon took over the entire town, and fell into disfavour with its ruler, Maymun. The supporters of al-Tuzi laid siege to the castle of Maymun, forcing him to flee to Tabarsaran in 990/91.{{sfn|Madelung|1975|p=246}}

Muhammad III was subsequently invited by al-Tuzi to take control over al-Bab.{{sfn|Madelung|1975|pp=246–247}} He went to the town, staying there for some months and overseeing its administration. He was eventually taken back to Shirvan by his men after suffering a head injury from a battle-axe by Balid, a ghulams of Maymun, who subsequently reconquered al-Bab.{{sfn|Minorsky|1958|p=29}} Muhammad III died in November 991 and was succeeded by his brother Yazid II.{{sfn|Minorsky|1958|p=30}}

A coin struck under Muhammad III at Barda'a is engraved with the nasab ibn as-Sallar, which demonstrates that Muhammad III wanted to make it clear that he was the rightful heir of the Persian monarchs.{{sfn|Akopyan|Vardanyan|2009|p=266}} "Sallar" is derived from sardar, a military title under the Sasanian Empire (224–651).{{sfn|Akopyan|Vardanyan|2009|p=262}}

{{reflist|2}}

• {{cite journal |last1=Akopyan|first1=Alexander|first2=Aram|last2=Vardanyan|title=A donative dirham of the Shirwānshāh Muhammad ibn Ahmad (AH 370-81) struck in Barda'a in AH 373 (982/3) |journal=Numismatic Chronicle|date=2009|pages=261–267|url=https://www.academia.edu/735260|url-access=registration}}
• {{cite encyclopedia | title = Šervānšāhs | last = Bosworth | first = C. E. | url = https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/servansahs | editor-last = | editor-first = | editor-link = | encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica | pages = | location = | publisher = | year = 2011 | isbn = }}
• {{Cambridge History of Iran|volume=4|last=Madelung|first=Wilferd|author-link= Wilferd Madelung|chapter=Minor dynasties of northern Iran|pages=198–250}}
• {{cite book | last=Minorsky | first=Vladimir | author-link = Vladimir Minorsky | title = A History of Sharvān and Darband in the 10th-11th Centuries | year=1958 | publisher=W. Heffer & Sons, Ltd. | location=Cambridge }}

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{{s-hou|Yazidids||||November 991}}

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{{s-bef|before=Ahmad}}

{{s-ttl|title=Shirvanshah|years=June 981 – November 991}}

{{s-aft|after=Yazid II}}

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{{Shirvanshahs}}

Category:10th-century monarchs in the Middle East

Category:991 deaths

Category:Year of birth unknown