On the twenty ninth day of Tir, in the 689th year of the Hijri calendar, our wise grandmother died. In her dying breath, she spoke of a land long lost to our family. She held with her right hand, my left hand, and with her left hand, my brother's right hand.
"Promise me" she said, "Promise me, that my grandchildren will break bread at Takht-i-Jamshid."
For over three centuries, the Khodadad family has lived in Baghdad, as have over half a million refugees and their children who now call the land between two rivers their home. Yet, in our hearts we dreamt of Persia. The Arab people are at their finest in Mesopotamia, high in culture, prosperous in trade, and productive in labor. Baghdad is easily amongst the greatest cities in the world, what honor then it was for the line of Khodadads to be appointed as its governor.
The invasion of the Seljuks had taken our homeland from us, but Allah has been kind in showing us a new home. Over here, we integrated into the populace, becoming a citizen of the Great Caliphate of muslims. Here there was no discrimination on skin or origin, here the ummah was one and there would always be shelter for muslims in need. Our people were in need, but our need was to reclaim what was taken from us.
Centuries passed, and we witnessed helplessly, our lands defiled and destroyed. First came the Turks, then came the accursed minions of the Tang empire. They put to fire the city of Isfahan killing Turks and Persians alike. It was a terror to witness, but we understood then that the opportunity had come where we could at last come back to whence we came from. In the centuries that had passed, our family had built the strength of Dar-Al iraq.
The horror that befell Persia had frightened the leading counsellors of the caliphate, Al-Iraq which was gifted with power and potential was allowed to build up strength through conscriptions, yet we had failed to strike at persia. We watched the suffering of Persia from Iraq as we grew our strength seated in Baghdad. In the three centuries that followed the Seljuk invasion, the world witnessed many barbaric invasions, from more exotic tribes in the North and East. These were brutal times, and our family lead the caliphate with a strong determined resolve and absolute faith in the word of Allah.
Three centuries of turmoil passed, the caliphate strengthened as the vile empire of the Seljuks weakened. In time, they crumbled into independent Khanates. The hurricane that was the Tang empire invasion smashed the strength of the Turks in Persia. It was now open for retaking. Now, in the year 687 of the Hijri, the Mujahid of Al Iraq, with the sons of Persia in their ranks, marched together with the mujahid of misr. The vast conquering armies that had smote the Ottoman turks of Anaotila now marched to liberate Persia from the rule of Seljuk turks.
Many thousands of Persian refugees and their kin had joined the call for jihad against the Seljuk, the jihad to liberate their homeland. The earth trembled when we called out our war cry, "Naarey Takbir ! Allah hu Akbar!" . We marched with the banner of the Takbir before us, I had the honor of holding the banner of the mujahid of Iraq.
When we came before the port city of Gwadar, we saw a force of four thousand Turkic archers defending the city. Their bows are famed for their strength and range, yet with all the courage these fallen men could muster, and all the strength in their bows, Gwadar's meagre garrison could not withstand before the strength and numbers of our mujahid. Our archers fired from the back of camels whilst they moved, so whilst we could attack them, their bolts could not touch us. Perhaps it was a miracle of Allah that not one of our mujahid had won unscathed.
Six hours did the battle last. At the end, the banner of Dar-Al-Iraq fluttered over the towers of Gwadar. When the battle was over, my brother Hormazd, the governor of Iraq sank to his knees and kissed the earth beneath him. "Home" he said, "We have freed her brother.."
I was but a young boy when our grandmother had made us promise to her on her deathbed, today we have begun its fulfillment.