Mahmud of Ghazni

Not to be confused with Mahmud Hotak or Mahmud Ghazan.

Mahmud of Ghazni
  • Yamīn-ud-Dawla
  • Mahmud the Idol Breaker
    (Persian: محمود بت‌شکن)
Mahmud of Ghazni (center) receives a robe of honour from Caliph al-Qadir. 1314 miniature in Jami al-Tawarikh by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani
Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire
Reign
March 998 – 30 April 1030
PredecessorIsmail of Ghazni
SuccessorMuhammad of Ghazni
Born2 November 971
Ghazni, Zabulistan, Samanid Empire (present-day Afghanistan)
Died30 April 1030(1030-04-30) (aged 58)
Ghazni, Zabulistan, Ghaznavid Empire (present-day Afghanistan)
Burial
Mosque and Tomb of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan [1]
Issue
Names
Yamin al-Dawla Amin al-Milla Abu'l-Qasim Mahmud ibn Sebüktegin
Persianیمین‌ الدوله امین‌الملة ابوالقاسم محمود بن سبکتگین
DynastyGhaznavid dynasty
FatherSabuktigin
ReligionSunni Islam (Shafi'i)
Military career
Years of servicec. 998 – 1030
Battles / wars

Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Sabuktigin (Persian: ابوالقاسم محمود بن سبکتگین, romanized: Abu al-Qāṣim Maḥmūd ibn Sabuktigīn; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi (محمود غزنوی),[2] was Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire, ruling from 998 to 1030. During his reign and in medieval sources, he is usually known by his honorific title Yamin al-Dawla (یمین‌ الدوله, lit. 'Right Hand of the State'). At the time of his death, his kingdom had been transformed into an extensive military empire, which extended from northwestern Iran proper to the Punjab in the Indian subcontinent, Khwarazm in Transoxiana, and Makran.

Highly Persianized,[3] Mahmud continued the bureaucratic, political, and cultural customs of his predecessors, the Samanids. He established the ground for a future Persianate state in Punjab, particularly centered on Lahore, a city he conquered.[4] His capital of Ghazni evolved into a significant cultural, commercial, and intellectual centre in the Islamic world, almost rivalling the important city of Baghdad. The capital appealed to many prominent figures, such as al-Biruni and Ferdowsi.[4]

Mahmud ascended the throne at the age of 27[5] upon his father's death, albeit after a brief war of succession with his brother Ismail. He was the first ruler to hold the title Sultan ("authority"), signifying the extent of his power while at the same time preserving an ideological link to the suzerainty of the Abbasid Caliphs. During his rule, he invaded and plundered the richest cities and temple towns, such as Mathura and Somnath in medieval India seventeen times, and used the booty to build his capital in Ghazni.[6][7]

  1. ^ "Maḥmūd | king of Ghazna". ArchNet. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  2. ^ Sharma, Ramesh Chandra (1994). The Splendour of Mathurā Art and Museum. D.K. Printworld. p. 39. ISBN 978-81-246-0015-3. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  3. ^ Grousset 1970, p. 146.
  4. ^ a b Meri 2005, p. 294.
  5. ^ "Maḥmūd | king of Ghazni". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  6. ^ Heathcote 1995, p. 6.
  7. ^ Anjum 2007, p. 234.