Eastern Iran, Afghanistan, and Northern India, 10th-12th century
The Ghaznavids and the Ghurids The eastern part of the Samanid
Empire was ruled by governors, who like most of the army were
slaves captured among the Central Asian Turkic peoples. Under
Sebüktigin, a process to sever ties began that was completed by
his son Mahmud (998-1030). The city of Ghazna became the capital
of the new Ghaznavid Empire. Through large-scale military
campaigns, it expanded into the former Buyid and Samanid regions
of Iran in the west and up to the Oxus River in the north.
Mahmud’s military operations were also directed to the east and
south, and he carried out a total of 17 campaigns into northern
and central India. They were justified as jihad (“holy war”),
since they were directed against the heathen Hindus, whose
temples were destroyed. From the realms in northern India,
Mahmud brought back rich booty, which in addition to financing
his large military machine was used to build up Ghazna as a
fitting capital. Mahmud also a