(971?–1030), Afghan conqueror and emperor. Mahmud of Ghazna was an emperor during the Ghaznavid dynasty (977–1187) in Afghanistan. It was during his reign that the Ghaznavid dynasty amassed its greatest wealth and territory. The son of a Turkish slave who fled to Ghazni after a failed revolt against his masters, Mahmud rose to power by defeating his elder brother for control of Afghanistan and the Khorasan region of Iran. Using his military expertise, Mahmud extended his territory to the west and north of Afghanistan, as well as to the Punjab region. Mahmud led several raids into India, ransacking temples and converting the natives to Islam. With the wealth gained from his pillaging, he transformed his capital, Ghazni, into a cultural center, establishing universities and supporting scholars and poets; the well-known historians Al Biruni and Al Utbi, as well as the great poet Firdawsi (c. 935–c. 1020) were in residence at Ghazni. A devout Muslim, Muhmad also built a grand mosque. Mahmud died in 1130, after which the empire began a downward spiral until its dissolution in 1186.
Further Reading
Adamec, Ludwig W. (1997) Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan. 2d ed. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
Edwards, David B. (1996) Heroes of the Age: Moral Fault Lines on the Afghan Frontier. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
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