Nihawand's Treaty and the Mah Dinar Name

Al-Baladhuri's account tells how Nihawand came to be called "Mah Dinar". Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman besieged Nihawand, and its people came out to fight and the Muslims defeated them. ¹

Simak ibn Ubayd al-Absi pursued a man from the people of the city with eight horsemen. He killed whoever came out against him until the man was alone; he threw down his weapon and Simak took him captive. A translator rendered his Persian speech, and he offered to make peace over the land and pay the poll tax. His name was Dinar. ¹

Hudhayfa then made peace with him on the land tax and the poll tax, and gave the people of Nihawand safe conduct for their property, their gardens and their homes. The city was called "Mah Dinar", and Dinar continued to visit Simak and bring him gifts. ¹

Nihawand was among the conquests of the people of Kufa, and al-Dinawar among those of Basra. When the Muslims in Kufa grew more numerous, al-Dinawar was given to them, and the people of Basra were compensated with Nihawand; so Nihawand was called "Mah al-Basra" and al-Dinawar "Mah al-Kufa". According to the account this was in the caliphate of Mu'awiya. ¹

Separate pages exist on Dinar, on Nihawand, on the land tax and on the poll tax.