According to Sharaf al-Din Bitlisi, the renowned Kurdish historian, the earliest known leader of the tribe, Bani Ardalan, was a descendant of "Ahmad b. Marwan" also known as "Nasr al-Dawla Ahmad ibn Marwān", who was the ruler of Marwanid Emirate From 1011-1061 centered in Amid. He settled down among the Goran Kurds in Kurdistan and toward the end of the Mongol period took over the Sharazor, where he established himself as an absolute ruler. Bani Ardalan's family also declared themselves descendants of the legendary Saladin. Ardalan encompassed Qaradagh, Khanaqin, Kirkuk, and Kifri. The capital city of the principality was first in Zalm Sharazor, but was moved to Sanandaj later on. The Ardalan state was completely independent until it was incorporated into Safavid Empire as a semi-autonomous frontier province. During the Safavid period, the Ardalans were deeply involved in the struggles between the Iranian and Ottoman empires and, whenever it suited them, they shifted their allegiance to the Ottoman state, thus when one of their leaders Ambez Miran supported the Ottomans against the Iranians he was expelled and left Ardalan to live in Soran. Moreover, it is believed that people who carry the Surname Miran in Northern Erbil are the sons of Ambez, mainly founded in Shaqlawa and few other places. Ardalans reigned from Safavid period to mid-nineteenth century. The Qajar monarch Nasser-al-Din Shah was determined to undermine the power and influence of Ardalans. He first interfered in the affairs of the province in 1851. Then in 1867, he terminated Ardalan's special status as a semi-autonomous frontier province and named his own uncle, Farhad Mirza Mo'tamad-al-Dawla, as the governor of what has become simply the province of Kordistan, thus putting an end to the Ardalan Dynasty. In 1941, the Ardalans participated in the first Kurdish revolt in Iran during the World War II. However, they were not involved in the establishment of the Republic of Mahabad in 1946, and the territory of that short-lived autonomic state did not include Sanandaj. After The end of the Ardalan Dynasty, the royal family continued having a great geographical and political influence in Kordestan, ultimately since they still were landlords and furthermore retained one of the few-highest Noble family rankings in Iran. This outcome was moreover characteristic for most of the ruling families of the former vassaldom-state system of Iran. Today the family is mostly known for being a noble family, thus in means of a symbolic and prestigious value resting on the legacy of formerly having been an ancient royal family.
