The expression ahl-i buyūtāt is first used in sources dating back to the early Islamic period. It has been argued that it was used in these sources to refer to the old Persian families who supervised various government ministries. In some early sources, such as al-Balādhurī’s Futūḥ al-buldān (pp. 284, 549), the term takes on a different meaning but the same notions apply (Khaṭībī, 468–469; Bahāʾ al-Dīn, 122; Ibn Isfandiyār, 23).

The first instance of the term buyūtāt being used specifi…