Ghaznavids

Ghaznavid Empire
غزنویان
Ġaznaviyān
977–1186
Ghaznavid Empire at its greatest extent in 1030 CE under Mahmud.[1][2]
StatusEmpire
CapitalGhazni
(977–1163)
Lahore
(1163–1186)
Common languagesPersian[a] (official and court language; lingua franca)
Sanskrit[4] (coinage)
Arabic (coinage and theology)
Turkic (military)[5]
Religion
Sunni Islam (official)
Hinduism (majority in India)
GovernmentHereditary monarchy
Sultan 
• 977–997
Sabuktigin (first)
• 1160–1186
Khusrau Malik (last)
Vizier 
• 998–1013
Abu'l-Hasan Isfaraini (first mentioned)
• 12th century
Abu'l-Ma'ali Nasrallah (last mentioned)
Historical eraMedieval
• Established
977
• Disestablished
1186
Area
1029 estimate[6][7]3,400,000 km2 (1,300,000 sq mi)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Samanids
Saffarid dynasty
Ma'munids
Farighunids
Hindu Shahi
Emirate of Multan
Chaulukya dynasty
Branches of Rashtrakuta dynasty
Pratihara dynasty
Habbari dynasty
Seljuk Empire
Ghurid dynasty

The Ghaznavid dynasty (Persian: غزنویان Ġaznaviyān) was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic mamluk origin.[b] It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus to the Indus Valley. The dynasty was founded by Sabuktigin upon his succession to the rule of Ghazna after the death of his father-in-law, Alp Tigin, who was an ex-general of the Samanid Empire from Balkh.

Sabuktigin's son, Mahmud of Ghazni, expanded the Ghaznavid Empire to the Amu Darya, the Indus River and the Indian Ocean in the east and to Rey and Hamadan in the west. Under the reign of Mas'ud I, the Ghaznavid dynasty began losing control over its western territories to the Seljuk Empire after the Battle of Dandanaqan in 1040, resulting in a restriction of its holdings to modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northern India.

In 1151, Sultan Bahram Shah lost Ghazni to the Ghurid sultan Ala al-Din Husayn. The Ghaznavids retook Ghazni, but lost the city to the Ghuzz Turks who in turn lost it to Muhammad of Ghor. In response, the Ghaznavids fled to Lahore, their regional capital. In 1186, Lahore was conquered by the Ghurid sultan, Muhammad of Ghor, with its Ghaznavid ruler, Khusrau Malik, imprisoned and later executed.

Sultan Mahmud and his forces attacking the fortress of Zaranj in 1003 CE. Jami al-Tawarikh, 1314 CE.[10]
  1. ^ Schwartzberg 1978, p. 146.
  2. ^ Bosworth, C.E. (1 January 1998). History of Civilizations of Central Asia. UNESCO. pp. 430–431. ISBN 978-92-3-103467-1.
  3. ^ Katouzian 2003, p. 128.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference coinage was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Bosworth 1963, p. 134.
  6. ^ Turchin, Adams & Hall 2006, p. 223.
  7. ^ Taagepera 1997, p. 496.
  8. ^ Peacock, A. C. S. (1 February 2013). Early Seljuq History: A New Interpretation. Routledge. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-135-15369-4. The Ghaznavids claimed descent from the last Sasanian shah, Yazdagird III...
  9. ^ O'Kane, Bernard (2009). The Appearance of Persian on Islamic Art. Persian Heritage Foundation. ISBN 978-1-934283-16-5. a fictitious genealogy connecting them with the Sasanian monarch Yazdegerd III had been promulgated
  10. ^ "Medieval Catapult Illustrated in the Jami' al-Tawarikh". IEEE Reach. Mahmud ibn Sebuktegin attacks the rebel fortress (Arg) of Zarang in Sijistan in 1003 AD


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