House of Suren
House of Suren or Surenas is one of two Parthian noble families explicitly mentioned by name in sources dateable to the Arsacid period.History
The head of Suren family had the privilege to crown the first Parthian king in the 3rd century BC, which founded a tradition that was continued by his descendants. Following the 3rd century AD defeat of the Arsacids and the subsequent rise of the Sassanids, the Surenas then switched sides and began to serve the Persians, at whose court they were identified as one of the so-called "Parthian clans." The last attested scion of the family was a military commander active in northern China during the 9th century.
It is "probable" that the Surenas were landowners in Sakastan, that is, in the region between Arachosia and Drangiana in present-day southeast Iran. The Surenas appear to have governed Sistan as their personal fiefdom.
"Ernst Herzfeld maintained that the dynasty of Gondophares represented the House of Suren." Other notable members of the family include the 1st century BC cavalry commander Surena, Gregory the Illuminator, and Chihor-Vishnasp, a 6th-century AD governor of Armenia who attempted to establish Zoroastrianism in that country.
Mehr Narseh, the grand vizier of four Sasanian kings, was from the House of Suren.
