A
Turkish dynasty that ruled in East
Iran,
Afghanistan and North
India from 997 to 1186. The Ghaznavids created the first powerful
Muslim state in India and prepared the way for the spread of
Islam there.
Founded by
Sebuktigin (997), a Turkish
soldier, the dynasty's territories centred on
Ghazni (Afghanistan) and reached it's peak with
Mahmud of Ghazni.
Following the battle of
Dandanqan in 1040, the Ghaznavids lost their lands in Persia to the
Seljuqs.