Illuminated Aleph Bookmark by Jean-Jacques LEVI

Bustanai Genealogy

Possible ancestor R. Yoseph I may descend via Bustanai from the King David genealogy as follows:

Each entry is supposed to be the son of daughter of the previous entry.

  1. Zurubbabel
  2. Hananiah. Sons: Pelatiah (Phaltial), Jeshaiah (Yesaiah) (Yeshaya) (Isaiah), Exilarch (Contact Don Stone for descendants)
  3. Exilarch Isaiah or Jeshaiah (b. Jerusalem about 469 B.C.E.)
  4. Exilarch Rephaiah (b. Jerusalem about 424 B.C.E.)
  5. Exilarch Amay or Arnan (b. Jerusalem about 400 B.C.E.)
  6. Exilarch Obadaiah (b. Jerusalem about 375 B.C.E.)
  7. Exilarch Shecanian
  8. Exilarch Shemaiah (b. Jerusalem about 325 B.C.E.). Children: Exilarch Neariah, Exilarch Hattush II, Exilarch Shemida, Igeal (Igal), Bariah, Shaphat,
  9. Neariah (b. Jerusalem about 297 B.C.E.). Children: Exilarch Hezekaiah (father of Exilarch Nakhum I), Exilarch Azrikam, Exilarch Elioenai. (Another source gives a different descent from here to Huna II)
  10. Exilarch Hizkiah Elioenai (lived Jerusalem, b. about 272 B.C.E.). Seven son all of whom were Exilarchs: Anani, Dalaiah, Johanan, Akkub, Pelaiah, Eliashib, Hodaviah (ancestor of some more exilarchs)
  11. Akkub (lived Jerusalem, b. about 244 B.C.E.)
  12. David
  13. Shlomo
  14. Shemaiah
  15. David
  16. Shechaniah
  17. Hizkiah
  18. Shalom
  19. Nathan (possibly Nathan De-Zuzita, an illusive Jewish hero whose story is chronologically out of place and in literature jumps around history.)
  20. Hunya
  21. Shlomo
  22. Yakov
  23. Ahija, founded a new dynasty of exilarchs around 135 on the extinction of previous dynasty (none of ancestors between him and Akkub were exilarches). Sons: Nakhum, II, Johanan, Nathan.
  24. Nakhum, II (around 145-170) Sons: Huna, I, Mar-Ukba, I.
  25. Mar-Ukba, I (around 210-240). Sons: Huna, II, Nathan, I
  26. Huna, II, Exilarch 240-259. Sons: Nathan I, and Nosson
  27. Nathan I UKBA, Exilarch at Babylon 259-270. Sons: Nehemiah I, Mar-Ukba, II
  28. Nehemiah (b. 270, executed 313), Exilarch at Babylon. Sons: Mar-Ukba, II/III, Isaac, Huna, III.
  29. Nathan (known as Ukba Mar II before he became Exilarch), Exilarch at Babylon (d. 337, reigned 313-337).
  30. Mar Abba Abra, Exilarch at Babylon (b. 300, d. 370, reigned 350-370) Sons: Nathan, II, Kahana, I
  31. Mar Kahani, I, Exilarch at Babylon (reigned 400-415). Sons: Nathan, Huna, IV, Mar-Zutra, I
  32. Mar Zutra I, Exilarch at Babylon (b. 370, d. 413(???), reigned 441-455). Sons: Kahana II, Huna V, and Nosson.
  33. Maremar = Kahana II (reigned 455-465).
  34. Haninai = Huna VI (reigned 484-508) Sons: Mar-Zutra II, and Hizkiah (father of David father of Mar-Zutra III)
  35. one missing generation?
  36. Mar Zutra II (b. 493, d. 520, reigned 508-520). Sons: Ahunai (Huna-Mar II), and Sutra I who went to palestine and founded a new dynansty of the Palestinian Nesi'im.
  37. Huna Mar (Ahunai) (520-581)
  38. Kafnai Hofnai (Kafnai; Qafnai), exilarch at Babylon (550-581). Sons: Haninai and Hushiel.
  39. Haninai (b. 560 Persia, d. 590 executed), exilarch at Babylon (581-589)
  40. Bustanai (d. 660/5) was the first Exilarch to be recognized by Arab rule. His birth and much of his life is surrounded by legend. As a token of appreciation, Caliph Ali gave him the daughter of the Persian king Yazdeger (Yazadagird III of Parthia) for a slave. Eventually Bustanai married her. See article by Moshe SHALTIEL-GRACIAN mosheshaltiel at cs.com
  41. Prince Haninai Baradai (d. 689). Three sons: Hisdai II (exilarch c. 700-730) (information available), Nehemiah through whom the line of the exilarchs eventually passes, and Hananiah. Contact: Leone WEST adim4111@yahoo.com for descendants of Nehemiah.
  42. Hannaniah, the gaon of Sura from 689 to 694.  Sons: Hilai (Hillel) gaon of Sura from 694 to 712, and Yakob
  43. Yakob, Gaon of Sura from 712-730
  44. Mari, Gaon of Sura from 748 or 751 to 756 (d. 756).
  45. Hillel, Gaon of Sura 792-798, d. 798. Sons: Ivomai, Natroi gaon of Sura (d. 853) and Rivyai (father of Joseph [d. 841])
  46. Ivomai, Kohen Zedek, Gaon 838-848. Sons: Hophni, Nehemiah and Nahshon (gaon of Sura 874-882, and father of Khai gaon of Sura 889-896).
  47. Hophni. Given by another source as Hophni son of Zedek Ha-COHEN son of Ivomai.
  48. Rabba or Rabban
  49. Mari, Gaon of Sura, went to Spain in 941.
  50. Samuel Ha-Gaon, gaon of an academy in Spain around 975. Died 935.
  51. Hophni ha-COHEN (from Merida?) (d. 963) married the daughter of Tzadok Kahana son of Mar Joseph Rav, grandson of Matityahu Gaon. (See David HUGHES RDavidH218@aol.com for ancestry of Matityahu Gaon.) Sons: Samuel Ha-Nagid, Yehoseph Ha-Nagid (father of Samuel, father of Joseph Ha-Nagid who was killed in a pogrom 1062)
  52. Samuel Ha-Nagid, Samuel ibn Naghrillah (b. 993 Spain, d. 1056 Spain or 1034) (Last Gaon of the Sura academy 997-1013).
    Samuel's daughter Asmouna possibly married Hai Gaon.
    Samuel's son Israel was Gaon of Sura Academy 1017-1034. (Azariah ha-Kohen [Gaon of Sura Academy 1034-1037] may have been son of Israel.)
    Samuel's son Isaac was a gaon.
  53. (generation skipped in some accounts) Joseph Ibn Nagrela [Al-Nagrila] Ha-Nagid (d. 1034)
  54. (generation skipped in some accounts) Samuel Ha-Nagid, vizier 1027 (d. 1056).
  55. R. Yoseph I. Gaon. Executed 1066. Married daughter of Rabbi Nissim Ben Yaakov. According to Moshe Shaltiel, Yoseph was assassinated in a pogrom in Granada (1062) where he served as a Grand Vizier like his father before him.


Daniel E. LOEB, eMail: loeb17@gmail.com