What is Samanid dynasty?
[[File:Samanid dynasty (819–999).GIF|thumb|Samanid dynasty (819–999)]] The '''Samani dynasty''' ({{lang-fa|سامانیان}} ''Sāmāniyān''), also called the '''Samanid Empire''', or simply '''Samanids''' (819–999)<ref>Encyclopedia Britannica, Online Edition, 2007, ''Samani Dynasty'', [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9065183/Samanid-Dynasty LINK]</ref> was an [[Iranic peoples|Iranian]] state<ref>Ahmed Rashid, ''The Resurgence of Central Asia: Islam or nationalism?'', (Oxford University Press, 1994), 166.</ref><ref>Bernard Lewis, ''Historians of the Middle East'', (Oxford University Press, 1962), 372.</ref><ref>''Encyclopaedic Historiography of the Muslim World'', Ed. NK Singh, (Global Vision Publishing, 2003), 933.</ref><ref>Islam after communism: religion and politics in Central Asia By Adeeb Khalid, pg. 148</ref> and [[empire]]<ref> *A historical atlas of Uzbekistan, By Aisha Khan, Published by The Rosen Publishing Group, 2003, {{ISBN|0823938689}}, 9780823938681, pg. 23; *The Cambridge History of Iran, By Richard Nelson Frye, William Bayne Fisher, John Andrew Boyle, Published by Cambridge University Press, 1975, {{ISBN|0521200938}}, 9780521200936, pg. 164; *The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, By Encyclopaedia Britannica Publishers, Inc. Staff, Encyclopaedia Britannica, inc, Published by Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1987, {{ISBN|0852294433}}, 9780852294437, pg. 891; *The monumental inscriptions from early Islamic Iran and Transoxiana, By Sheila Blair, Published by BRILL, 1992, {{ISBN|9004093672}}, 9789004093676, pg. 27.</ref> in [[Central Asia]] and [[Greater Iran]]. It is named after its founder [[Saman Khuda]],<ref name=cs>{{cite web |url=http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=samaniad_empire |title=The Samanid Empire - All Empires |first=Cyrus |last=Shahmiri |work=allempires.com |year=2011 |accessdate=10 October 2011 |archive-date=10 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910195911/http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=samaniad_empire |url-status=dead }}</ref> who converted to [[S