Clans
Bayat is the name of an originally Turkic clan in Iran which traces its origin to the 12th century. The first location of the Bayat clan was the city of Nishapur in the south of Khorasan, a state in the north-east of Iran.The Bayat clan moved in 16th century to three different locations after attacks by Mongol forces.
The Bayat clan made war with the Mongols, killing Genghis Khan's son-in-law with his army. Then Khan attacked Nishapur with all his forces, killing many Bayat clansmen, and the rest of the Bayat clan escaped to the mountains around Nishapur.
From there, one group went east and north-east, so that the surname Bayat is still found in Afghanistan. A second group went south-west towards Isfahan, and the surname Bayat is prominent in Arak,Hamedan, Malayer, Isfahan and Shiraz. The third group went north-west, and in Azerbaijan they divided in two; one part of the group took the north way as far as Turkey, and second part went west intoIraq, Syria and Lebanon.
Bayat was the name of one the 24 Oghuz Turkish clans purported to descend from Oghuz Khaqan according to Oghuzname[citation needed] and the oral legends prior to that book's writing in early 14th century. It is also the name of several localities and persons often in connection with the clan or the legend. In Afghanistan, the clan is known to have who originally emigrated into the country withNader Shah.
The surname Bhaiyat (also spelt Bhayat) is found in Gujarat in many of the villages of Sunni Surti Vohra. The clan may have migrated to India from Iran or Afghanistan
People
Bayat is a common surname today in Afghanistan, Iran, Azerbaijan and to a lesser extent in Turkey and Turkmenistan where it carries the meaning "Knight" or "Chevalier".
Notable figures from this clan include:
Ata Korkut , legendary man of the Oghuz
Fuzuli, famous Azeri poet of Ottoman era
Abbas Bayat (born 1947), Iranian businessman
Asef Bayat, Iranian professor of sociology
Ehsan Bayat, Afghan-American entrepreneur, owner of Ariana Television Network and founder of the Bayat Foundation[1]
Morteza Gholi Bayat (1890–1958), former Prime Minister of Iran
