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Muhammad of Ghazni was a Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire who ruled briefly in 1030 and again from 1040 to 1041. He was the twin brother of Mas'ud I, who overthrew him and had him blinded and killed.
Mahmud of Ghazni was a Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire who ruled from 998 to 1030. He invaded and plundered India several times, and established a Persianate state in Punjab.
- Early Life
- Rise to Power
- Expanding The Empire
- Ruling A Huge State
- Domestic Policies
- Final Campaign and Death
- Legacy
- Sources
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On Nov. 2, 971, Yamin ad-Dawlah Abdul-Qasim Mahmud ibn Sabuktegin, better known as Mahmud of Ghazni, was born in the town of Ghazna (now known as Ghazni), in southeast Afghanistan. His father Abu Mansur Sabuktegin was Turkic, a former Mamlukenslaved warrior from Ghazni. When the Samanid dynasty, based in Bukhara (now in Uzbekistan) began to crumble...
On his deathbed, Sabuktegin passed over his militarily and diplomatically skilled eldest son Mahmud, 27, in favor of the second son, Ismail. It seems likely that he chose Ismail because he was not descended from enslaved people on both sides, unlike the elder and younger brothers. When Mahmud, who was stationed at Nishapur (now in Iran), heard of h...
Mahmud's early conquests expanded the Ghaznavid realm to roughly the same footprint as the ancient Kushan Empire. He employed typical Central Asian military techniques and tactics, relying primarily on a highly mobile horse-mounted cavalry, armed with compound bows. By 1001, Mahmud had turned his attention to the fertile lands of the Punjab, now in...
Over the next three decades, Mahmud of Ghazni would make more than a dozen military strikes into Hindu and Ismaili kingdoms to the south. By the time of his death, Mahmud's empire stretched to the shores of the Indian Ocean at southern Gujarat. Mahmud appointed local vassal kings to rule in his name in many of the conquered regions, easing relation...
The Sultan Mahmud loved books and honored learned men. In his home base at Ghazni, he built a library to rival that of the Abbasid caliph's court in Baghdad, now in Iraq. Mahmud of Ghazni also sponsored the construction of universities, palaces, and grand mosques, making his capital city the jewel of Central Asia.
In 1026, the 55-year-old sultan set out to invade the state of Kathiawar, on India's west (Arabian Sea) coast. His army drove as far south as Somnath, famous for its beautiful temple to the Lord Shiva. Although Mahmud's troops successfully captured Somnath, looting and destroying the temple, there was troubling news from Afghanistan. A number of ot...
Mahmud of Ghazni left behind a mixed legacy. His empire would survive until 1187, although it began to crumble from west to east even before his death. In 1151, the Ghaznavid sultan Bahram Shah lost Ghazni itself, fleeing to Lahore (now in Pakistan). The Sultan Mahmud spent much of his life battling against what he called "infidels"—Hindus, Jains, ...
Duiker, William J. & Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History, Vol. 1, Independence, KY: Cengage Learning, 2006.Nazim, Muhammad. The Life and Times of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna, CUP Archive, 1931.Ramachandran, Sudha. “Asia's Missiles Strike at the Heart.” Asia Times Online., Asia Times, 3 Sept. 2005.Learn about the life and achievements of Mahmud of Ghazni, the first sultan in history who ruled over a vast empire in Central Asia and India. Discover how he expanded his realm, faced challenges, and left a lasting impact on the region.
- Kallie Szczepanski
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Dec 23, 2014 · Learn about the 17 times that Mahmud of Ghazni, a Turkish conqueror, attacked India between 1000 and 1027 AD. Find out the reasons, results and aftermath of his raids, and the places he conquered or looted.
Jul 24, 2024 · Mahmud of Ghazni was one of the most influential rulers of the medieval period, whose conquests and patronage of art and culture had a profound impact on the political and social landscape of the Indian subcontinent. Mahmud rose to power as the Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire, ruling from 998 to 1030 AD.
May 28, 2024 · The Turkic Ghaznavid dynasty was established by Mahmud of Ghazni (971–1030), and it governed from 998 to 1030. By the time of his death, his realm had developed into a sizable military empire that spanned from northwest Iran itself to Punjab in India, Khwarazm in Transoxiana, and Makran.
Learn about the life and campaigns of Mahmud of Ghazni, who invaded India 17 times between 1000 and 1025 AD. Find out how he destroyed Hindu temples, attracted scholars and poets, and faced resistance from Hindu kings.
