Clifford Edmund Bosworth

The Ghaznavids : their empire in Afghanistan and Eastern Iran, 994-1040

The Ghaznavids: their empire in Afghanistan and Eastern Iran, 664: 1040 , The Ghaznavids: their empire in Afghanistan and Eastern Iran, 664: 1040 , کتابخانه دیجیتال و فن آوری اطلاعات دانشگاه امام صادق(ع)

THE EARLY GHAZNAVIDS

The establishment of the Ghaznavid sultanate in the eastern Iranian world represents the first major breakthrough of Turkish power there against the indigenous dynasties. The Sāmānid in Transoxiana and Khurāsā meant that there was a strong barrier in the northeast against mass incursions from the steppes into the civilized zone. The group of Turks in Ghazna was a small one, set down in an hostile environment, and a dynamic policy of expansion may have seemed to Sebuk-Tegin, the best way to ensure its survival. Sebuk-Tegins successful maintenance of himself in power at Ghazna and his victories against the Indians made him a force in the internal politics of the Sāmānid empire, at the time moving towards its final collapse. By acquiring Khurāsā, Mahmūd became master of a rich and flourishing province. Khurāsā had rich agricultural oases, irrigated by means of a skilful utilization of a modest water supply.