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73-495: Ghazni Citadel , the Minarets of Ghazni , the Palace of Sultan Mas'ud III , and several other cultural heritage sites have brought travelers and archeologists to the city for centuries. During the pre-Islamic period , the area was inhabited by various tribes who practiced different religions including Zoroastrianism , Buddhism and Hinduism . Arab Muslims introduced Islam to Ghazni in

146-655: A Turkic mamluk commander of the Seljuqs. In 1097, the Khwarazm governor of Turkic origin Ekinchi ibn Qochqar declared independence from the Seljuqs and proclaimed himself the shah of Khwarazm. After a short time, however, he was killed by several Seljuq amirs who had risen in revolt. He was replaced with Anush Tigin Gharachai's son, Qutb al-Din Muhammad , by the Seljuqs, who had reconquered

219-449: A hot-summer humid continental climate ( Dsa ). It has cold, snowy winters and warm, dry summers. Precipitation is low and mostly falls in winter (as snow) and spring (as rain). Winters are very cold, with a subzero January daily average temperature of −5.9 °C (21.4 °F), mainly due to the high elevation of the city. The city of Ghazni's population surged from 143,379 in 2015 to 270,000 in 2018 as refugees from violent areas fled to

292-574: A few months after Il-Arslan's ascension, causing Seljuq Khurasan to descend into chaos. This allowed Il-Arslan to effectively break off Seljuk suzerainty, although he remained on friendly terms with Sanjar's successor, Mas'ud. Like his father, Il-Arslan sought to expand his influence in Khurasan. In 1158, Il-Arslan became involved in the affairs of another Qara Khitai vassal state, the Karakhanids of Samarqand . The Karakhanid Chaghri Khan had been persecuting

365-479: A force to plunder Khwarazm, forcing Atsiz to pay an annual tribute. In 1142, Atsiz was expelled from Khorasan by Sanjar, who invaded Khwarazm in the following year and forced Atsiz back into vassalage, although he continued to pay tribute to the Kara Khitai until his death. Sanjar undertook another expedition against Atsïz in 1147 when the latter became rebellious again. Atsiz was a flexible politician and ruler, and

438-404: A row of smaller stupas. Nearby, an 18-metre (59 ft) long Parinirvana (reclining) Buddha was excavated between the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is believed to have been built in the 8th century CE as part of a monastery complex. In the 1980s, a mud brick shelter was created to protect the sculpture, but the wood supports were stolen for firewood and the shelter partially collapsed. In 2001,

511-589: A small contingent of Mongols crossed borders in pursuit of an escaped enemy general . Upon successfully retrieving him, Genghis Khan made contact with the Shah. Genghis was looking to open trade relations, but having heard exaggerated reports of the Mongols, the Shah believed this gesture was only a ploy to invade Khwarazm. Genghis sent emissaries to Khwarazm to emphasize his hope for a trade road. Muhammad II, in turn, had one of his governors ( Inalchuq , his uncle) openly accuse

584-645: A suicide Humvee bomber affiliated with the Taliban killed nine Afghan intelligence personnel and injured 40 others at the National Directorate of Security (NDS) unit in Ghazni, also damaging the nearby Islamic Cultural Centre. Ghazni was the tenth provincial capital of Afghanistan to be captured by the Taliban as part of the 2021 Taliban offensive . Ghazni is a trading and transit hub in central Afghanistan. Agriculture

657-451: Is a large medieval fortress located in Ghazni city, east-central Afghanistan . It was built in the 13th century surrounding the Ghazni town to form a walled city. The 45 metre (147 foot) high citadel dominates the skyline. The citadel is at risk of destruction due to multiple threats. Already more than half of the citadel's 32 original towers have been destroyed or heavily damaged with

730-439: Is a very beautiful city, surrounded by the attention of angels who represent the city in paradise just like a bride in a groom's house. The inhabitants of the capital were skillful artisans, especially the blacksmiths, carpenters and others. Carvers were famous for their products made of ivory and ebony. Workshops for the production of natural silk operated in the city. The cities of Samarqand , Ghazna and Tabriz also served as

803-458: Is famous for its Ghazni Minarets built on a stellar plan. They date from the middle of the twelfth century and are the surviving elements of the mosque of Bahramshah. Their sides are decorated with intricate geometric patterns. Some of the upper sections of the minarets have been damaged or destroyed. The most important mausoleum located in Ghazni City is that of Sultan Mahmud . Others include

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876-473: Is in a deteriorating condition. Many of the towers and walls of the fortress are crumbling. Decades of war and continued political instability in Afghanistan have contributed to the deterioration of the fortress. War and lack of funds have hampered restoration efforts. In June, 2019 one of the fort's 32 original towers collapsed and was caught on video and posted to social media sparking international calls for

949-547: Is in an area of low rainfall. In 2007, one of the gates on a 50-year-old dam on the Jikhai River broke, bringing up concerns among the inhabitants of Ghazni city about the water supply. The dam serves as a good source of irrigation water to Ghazni City and the surrounding agricultural areas. Nearby rivers have a history of flooding and causing severe damage and death, though efforts have begun to remedy this. Citadel of Ghazni The Citadel of Ghazni (or Ghuznee, Ghazna)

1022-469: Is in this city and is surmounted by a hospice. The greater part of the town is in ruins and nothing but a fraction of it remains, though it was once a large city. It has an exceedingly cold climate, and the inhabitants move from it in the cold season to Qandahar , a large and prosperous town three nights journey from Ghazna, but I did not visit it." Tamerlanes's grandson, Pir Muhammad bin Djinhangir , became

1095-570: Is next to Afghanistan's main highway that runs between Kabul and Kandahar in the south. There are roads leading to Gardez and in the east and other nearby villages as well as to towns in Hazarajat in the northwest. The city has a number of public schools. Jahan Maleeka School is an all-girls school with over 5,000 students and 150 teachers. Naswan Shaher Kohna School, another all-girls school, has over 3000 students. The Adult Literacy Rate as of 2012 accounted for 41.2% (2012). [1] Ghazni City

1168-443: Is the dominant land use at 28%. In terms of built-up land area, vacant plots (33%) slightly outweigh residential area (31%). Districts 3 and 4 also have large institutional areas. The city has four police districts ( nahia ) and covers a total land area of 3,330 hectares. The total number of dwellings in Ghazni city is 15,931. Ghazni's climate is transitional between a cold semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification BSk ) and

1241-711: The Armenian highlands he clashed with the Ayyubids , capturing the town Ahlat along the western shores of Lake Van , which sought the aid of the Seljuq Sultanate of Rûm . Sultan Kayqubad I defeated him at Arzinjan on the Upper Euphrates at the Battle of Yassıçemen in 1230. He escaped to Diyarbakir , while the Mongols conquered Azerbaijan in the ensuing confusion. He was murdered in 1231 by Kurdish highwaymen. The head of

1314-659: The Caspian Sea . On the eve of the Mongol invasion, a diarchy developed in the Khwarazmian Empire. Khwarazmshah Muhammad II was considered the absolute ruler , but the influence of his mother Turkan Khatun (Terken Khatun) was also great. Turkan Khatun even had the laqab : "the Ruler of the World" (Khudavand-e Jahaan), and another one for her decrees: "Protector of peace and faith, Turkan

1387-488: The First Anglo-Afghan War in the 19th century, the fortifications of Ghazni were partially demolished by British Indian forces . In August 2018, the city became the site of the Battle of Ghazni with the Taliban briefly occupying it and taking control of most of the surrounding area. On 12 August 2021, the city was captured by the Taliban as part of the 2021 Taliban offensive . In 2013, ISESCO declared Ghazni

1460-621: The Mongol invasion of Persia in 1219, at a time when the Khwarazmian Empire ruled the area, initially under the suzerainty of the Seljuk Empire , and independently from 1190. Some of the "most iconic" productions of stonepaste vessels can be attributed to the Khwarazmian rulers, after the end of Seljuk domination (the Seljuk Empire itself ended in 1194). In general, it is considered that Mina'i ware

1533-733: The Qarluks in his realm, and several Qarluk leaders fled to Khwarazm and sought Il-Arslan's help. He responded by invading the Karakhanid dominions, taking Bukhara and besieging Samarqand, where Chaghri Khan had taken refuge. The latter appealed to both the Turks of the Syr Darya and the Qara Khitai, and the gurkhan sent an army, but its commander hesitated to enter into conflict with the Khwarazmians. In 1172,

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1606-521: The Seljuk Empire and the Qara Khitai (Western Liao dynasty), and from circa 1190 as independent rulers up until the Mongol conquest in 1219–1221. The date of the founding of the state remains debatable. The dynasty that ruled the empire was founded by Anush Tigin (also known as Gharachai), initially a Turkic slave of the rulers of Gharchistan , later a Mamluk in the service of the Seljuks. However, it

1679-826: The Shafi'is in Merv , a huge madrassah, a mosque and a repository of manuscripts in Gurganj. He died at the hands of the Shia Ismailis . An important position in the state apparatus of the Khwarazmshahs was also held by the senior or great hajib , who most of the time, was a representative of the Turkic nobility. The hajib reported to the Khwarazmshah on issues related to the shah and his family. The Khwarazmshah could have several hajibs, who carried out

1752-505: The Sunni branch of Islam and had their richest and most populous cities in Khorasan. Thus, the Khwarazmshah era had a dual character, reflecting both its Turkic origin and Persian high culture. During the Khwarazmshah era, Central Asian society was fragmented, unified under one banner only recently. The Khwarazmian military mostly consisted of Turks, while the civilian and administrative element

1825-594: The Taliban blew the Buddha up, believing it to be idolatrous. During the First Anglo-Afghan War , the city was captured by British forces on 23 July 1839 in the Battle of Ghazni . The Civil war in Afghanistan and the continued conflict between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance during the 1990s put the relics of Ghazni in jeopardy. Ghazni's strategic position, both economically and militarily, assured its revival, albeit without its dazzling former grandeur. Through

1898-698: The expansionist policies of his father Il-Arslan. Despite gaining his throne with the help of the Qara Khitai, he later shook off their suzerainty and repulsed the subsequent Qara Khitai invasion of Khwarazm. Tekish maintained close relations with the Oghuz Turkmens and Turkic Qipchak tribes from the vicinity of the Aral Sea , and recruited them at times for his conquest of Iran . A great number of these Turkmens were still pagan , and they were known in Iran for their barbarism and intense ferocity. In 1194, Tekish defeated

1971-413: The "personal" instructions of the sultan. Initially, the main city of the Khwarazmian Empire was Urganch or Gurganj. A prominent Middle Eastern biographer and geographer, Yaqut al-Hamawi , who visited Gurganj in 1219, wrote, "I have not seen a city greater, richer and more beautiful than Gurganj." Al-Qazvini , a Persian physician, astronomer, geographer and writer of Arab ancestry, states: Gurganj

2044-802: The 7th century and were followed in the 9th century by the Saffarids . Sabuktigin made Ghazni the capital of the Ghaznavid Empire in the 10th century. The city was destroyed by one of the Ghurid rulers but later rebuilt. It fell to several regional powers, including the Timurids and the Delhi Sultanate until it became part of the Hotaki dynasty , which was followed by the Durrani Empire or modern Afghanistan. During

2117-625: The Afghan government and international community to do more to preserve the country's cultural heritage. This article about a building or structure in Afghanistan is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Khwarezmid Empire The Khwarazmian Empire ( English: / k w ə ˈ r æ z m i ən / ), or simply Khwarazm , was a culturally Persianate , Sunni Muslim empire of Turkic mamluk origin. Khwarazmians ruled large parts of present-day Central Asia , Afghanistan , and Iran from 1077 to 1231; first as vassals of

2190-699: The Christian population of the city was expelled. This triggered a call from Europe for the Seventh Crusade , but the Crusaders would never again be successful in retaking Jerusalem. After being conquered by the Khwarazmian forces, the city stayed under Muslim control until 1917, when it was taken from the Ottomans by the British . After taking Jerusalem, the Khwarazmian forces continued south, and on 17 October 1244 fought on

2263-605: The Great, the ruler of women of both worlds." Turkan Khatun had a separate Diwan , separate palace and the orders of the Sultan were not considered to be effective without her signature. This fact, coupled with her conflicts with Muhammad II might have contributed to the impotence of the Khwarazmian Empire in the face of the Mongol onslaught . In 1221, she was captured by the troops of Genghis Khan and died in poverty in Mongolia . Jalal al-Din

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2336-463: The Mongol merchant party (Muslim and Mongol alike) put to death and their goods seized. These events led Genghis to retaliate with a force of 100,000 to 150,000 men that crossed the Jaxartes in 1219 and sacked the cities of Samarqand , Bukhara , Otrar , and others. Muhammad's capital city, Gurganj , followed soon after. The Shah Muhammad II of Khwarazm fled and died some weeks later on an island in

2409-425: The Qara Khitai launched a punitive expedition against Il-Arslan, who had not paid the required annual tribute. The Khwarazmian army was defeated, and Il-Arslan died shortly after. Following his death the state briefly became embroiled in turmoil, as the succession was disputed between his sons Tekish and Sultan Shah . Tekish emerged victorious and subsequently ruled the empire from 1172 to 1200. Tekish stayed with

2482-633: The Seljuq lands of Jazira and Syria for the next several years, calling themselves the Khwarazmiyya . Ayyubid Sultan as-Salih Ayyub , in Egypt, later hired them against his uncle as-Salih Ismail . The Khwarazmiyya , heading south from Iraq towards Egypt, invaded Crusader -held Jerusalem along the way, on 11 July 1244 ( Siege of Jerusalem (1244) ). The city's citadel, the Tower of David , surrendered on 23 August, and

2555-469: The Seljuq sultan Malik-Shah I to retake territory in northern Greater Khorasan that the Ghaznavids had seized. He was subsequently made the sultan's tasht-dar ( Persian : "keeper of the royal vessels"), and, as the revenues from Khwarazm were used to pay for the expenses incurred by this position, he was made governor of the province. The details of his tenure as governor are unclear. He died by 1097 and

2628-555: The Seljuq sultan of Hamadan , Toghrul III , in an alliance with Caliph Al-Nasir , and conquered his territories. After the war, he broke with the Caliphate and was on the brink of a war with it until the Caliph accepted him as the sultan of Iran, Khorasan, and Turkestan in 1198. Tekish died of a peritonsillar abscess in 1200. and was succeeded by his son, Ala ad-Din Muhammad . His death triggered spontaneous revolts and widespread massacre of

2701-598: The Tombs of poets and scientists, such as the Tomb of Al Biruni . The only ruins in Old Ghazni retaining a semblance of architectural form are two towers, about 43 m (140 ft) high and 365 m (1,200 ft) apart. According to inscriptions, the towers were constructed by Mahmud of Ghazni and his son. For more than eight centuries the “Towers of Victory” monuments to Afghanistan's greatest empire have survived wars and invasions,

2774-525: The United States established the Lincoln Learning Center in Ghazni. The Lincoln learning centers in Afghanistan serve as programming platforms offering English language classes, library facilities, programming venues, Internet connectivity, educational and other counseling services. A goal of the program is to reach at least 4,000 Afghan citizens per month per location. On 10 August 2018, the city

2847-413: The amir Buruntayh. He treated me well and wrote to his representatives at Ghazna enjoining them to show me honour. We went on to the village of Charkh [Charikar], it being now summer, and from there to the town of Ghazna. This is the town of the famous warrior-sultan Mahmud ibn Sabuktagin , one of the greatest of rulers, who made frequent raids into India and captured cities and fortresses there. His grave

2920-464: The capital of the later Khwarazmian Empire. The population of the Kwarazmian Empire consisted mainly of sedentary Iranian and half-nomadic Turkic peoples . The urban population of the empire was concentrated in a relatively small number of (by medieval standards) very large cities as opposed to a huge number of smaller towns. The population of the empire is estimated at 5 million people on

2993-400: The central state apparatus (al-Majlis al-Ali al-Fahri at-Taji) of Kharazmshahs was a vizier , the first adviser to the head of state. He was the head of the diwan officials (askhab ad-dawawin), who appointed them and established salaries, pensions (arzak), controlling tax administration and the treasury. The most prominent vizier of the Khwarazmian Empire was Al-Harawi, who built a mosque for

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3066-584: The centuries the city has figured prominently as the all-important key to the possession of Kabul . After the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan , the United States armed forces built a base in Ghazni . They have been involved in rebuilding projects and protecting the local population against Taliban insurgents . In the meantime, they are also training the Afghan Local Police (ALP) Afghan National Police (ANP) and Afghan National Army (ANA). In 2010,

3139-581: The citadel for four months. He wrested Ghazni from the Lawik ruler, Abu Bakr Lawik . Alp-Tegin was accompanied by Sabuktigin during this conquest. In 1839, the citadel was the site of the battle of Ghazni during the first Anglo-Afghan War when the British troops stormed and captured the citadel. It saw further violence during later decades of wars. On 14 June 2019, a tower collapsed due to heavy rain and possible government negligence. The old citadel of Ghazni

3212-464: The city and besieged the Citadel of Ghazni for four months, wresting the city from Abu Bakr Lawik . Around 965, Abu Bakr Lawik recaptured Ghazni from Alp-Tegin's son, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim , forcing him to flee to Bukhara . However, this was not to last long because Abu Ishaq Ibrahim shortly returned to the town with Samanid aid, and took control of the town once again. For nearly two hundred years (977–1163),

3285-494: The city was the dazzling capital of the Ghaznavid Empire , which encompassed much of what is today Afghanistan, Turkmenistan , Pakistan, Eastern Iran and Rajasthan . The Ghaznavids took Islam to India and returned with fabulous riches looted from Hindu temples. Although the city was sacked in 1151 by the Ghorid Ala'uddin, it became their secondary capital in 1173, and subsequently flourished once again. Between 1215 and 1221, Ghazni

3358-472: The city. In 2015, there were 15,931 dwellings in Ghazni city. The population is multi-ethnic , with approximately 50% being Tajik , 25% Hazara , and 25% Pashtun . In April 2012, Ghazni Governor Musa Khan Akbarzada laid the foundation stone of the Ghazni Airport . The work began later that year and was supervised by the managing director of the Ghazni province Engineer Ahmad Wali Tawakuli. The city

3431-585: The collapse of one tower being caught on video in June, 2019 and being shared widely on social media. The citadel is located in the center of the city and nearby major roads. A lack of funds to aid in the site's preservation, heavy rains, and the country's ongoing civil war have further contributed to the citadel's collapse. In 962, the Turkic slave commander of the Samanid Empire , Alp-Tegin , attacked Ghazni and besieged

3504-555: The empire of Alexander the Great in 329 BCE, and called Alexandria in Opiana . The ancient history of the Bhati Rajputs alludes to a tradition in which they claim to have erected the fort and city of Ghazni. By the 7th century CE, the area was a major center of Buddhism . In 644, the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang visited a city named Jaguda —which was almost certainly the contemporary name of

3577-405: The empire, besieging and plundering the richest cities, while putting its citizens to the sword in one of the bloodiest wars in human history. The title Khwarazmshah was introduced in 305 by the founder of the Afrighids and existed until 995. After a short interval, the title was reinstated. During the uprising in Khwarazm in 1017, rebels killed Khwarazmshah Ma'mun II and his wife Khurra-ji,

3650-459: The eve of the Mongol invasion in 1220, making it sparse for the large area it covered. Historical demographers Tertius Chandler and Gerald Fox give the following estimations for the populations of the empire's major cities at the beginning of the 13th century, which adds up to at least 520,000 and at most 850,000 people. Although the Khwarazmshahs had a Turkic origin, just as their Seljuq predecessors, they adopted Persian culture , adhered to

3723-425: The governor of Ghazni (along with Kabul and Kandahar) in 1401. Babur conquered the region in 1504 and personally thought that Ghazni was "a mean place" and pondered why any of the princes of the region would make it their seat of government. Ghazni stayed under Mughal control until 1738 when Iranian ruler Nader Shah invaded the area. After Nader Shah's death, Ghazni became part of the Durrani empire . Ghazni City

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3796-453: The hated Khwarazmian Turkic soldiers stationed in Iran. After his father Tekish died, Muhammad succeeded him. Muhammad led the maximum expansion of the Khwarazmian Empire, extinguishing the Western Kara-Khanid Khanate in 1213, and sweeping aside the Ghurids in 1215 whom they vassalized after the assassination of Muhammad Ghuri . The coins of Muhammad were minted in the Kara-Khanid capitals of Uzgen and Samarkand from 1213. In 1218,

3869-406: The later Ghazni. In 683, Arab armies brought Islam to the region. From 680 to 870, the Zunbils were present in the area, and at times had their capital in Ghazni. Yaqub Saffari from Zaranj conquered the Zunbils in the late 9th century. The Saffarids reduced the formerly Lawik dynasty to tributary status. In 962, the Turkic slave commander of the Samanid Empire , Alp-Tegin , attacked

3942-467: The major cities probably had 105,000 to 140,000 healthy males of fighting age in total (15–20% of the population), but only a fraction of these would be part of a formal militia with any notable measure of training and equipment. After the Mongol invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire, many Khwarazmians survived by employing themselves as mercenaries in northern Iraq . Sultan Jalal ad-Din's followers remained loyal to him even after his death in 1231, and raided

4015-401: The official state language of the Khwarazmshahs and served as the language of administration, history, fiction and poetry. The Turkic language was the mother tongue and "home language" of the Anushteginid family, while Arabic served primarily as the language of science, philosophy, and theology. The finely decorated Mina'i ceramics were mainly produced in Kashan , in the decades leading up to

4088-403: The party of spying, seizing their rich goods and arresting the party. Trying to maintain diplomacy, Genghis sent an envoy of three men to the shah, to give him a chance to disclaim all knowledge of the governor's actions and hand him over to the Mongols for punishment. The shah executed the envoy (again, some sources claim one man was executed, some claim all three were), and then immediately had

4161-539: The post was briefly given to Ekinchi bin Qochqar before being transferred to his son, Qutb al-Din Muhammad . Atsiz gained his position following his father Qutb al-Din's death in 1127. During the early part of his reign, he focused on securing Khwarazm against nomad attacks. In 1138, he rebelled against his suzerain, the Seljuq sultan Ahmad Sanjar , but was defeated in Hazarasp and forced to flee. Sanjar installed his nephew Suleiman Shah as ruler of Khwarazm and returned to Merv . Atsiz returned, however, and Suleiman Shah

4234-453: The region. Qutb al-Din became the first hereditary Khwarazmshah. Anushtegin Gharachai was a Turkic mamluk commander of the Seljuqs and the governor of Khwarazm from approximately 1077 until 1097. He was the first member of his family to rule Khwarazm and the namesake for the dynasty that would rule the province in the 12th and early 13th centuries. Anushtegin was put in command together with his master Al-Taj Gümüshtegin in 1073 by

4307-537: The relationship with the Abbasid caliphs . Returning to Persia , he gathered an army and re-established a kingdom. He never consolidated his power, however, spending the rest of his days struggling against the Mongols, the Seljuks of Rum , and pretenders to his own throne. He lost his power over Persia in a battle against the Mongols in the Alborz Mountains. Escaping to the Caucasus , he captured Azerbaijan in 1225, setting up his capital at Tabriz . In 1226 he attacked Georgia and sacked Tbilisi . Following on through

4380-405: The sister of Ghaznavid sultan Mahmud of Ghazni . In response, Mahmud invaded the region to quell the rebellion. He later installed a new ruler and annexed Khwarazm. As a result, it became a province of the Ghaznavid empire and remained so until 1035. In 1077, the control of the region, which previously belonged to the Seljuqs from 1042 to 1043, passed into the hands of Anushtegin Gharchai ,

4453-416: The two toffee-colored minarets, adorned with terra-cotta tiles were raised in the early 12th century as monuments to the victories of the Afghan armies that built the empire. By the time the Ghurids had finalized the Ghaznavid removal from Ghazni, the city was a cultural center of the eastern Islamic world. The Buddhist site at Ghazni is known as Tapar Sardar and consists of a stupa on a hilltop, surrounded by

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4526-429: The year's Islamic Capital of Culture . The city was founded some time in antiquity as a small market town. It may be the Gazaca ( Gázaca or Gāzaca ) mentioned by Ptolemy , although he may have conflated it and the town of Ganzak (or Gazaka) in Iran. In the 6th century BCE, it was conquered by the Achaemenid king Cyrus II and incorporated into the Persian Empire . The city was subsequently incorporated into

4599-426: Was Ala ad-Din Atsiz (r. 1127–1156), descendant of Anush Tigin, who achieved Khwarazm's independence from its neighbors. The Khwarazmian Empire eventually became the most powerful state in the lands around Persia, defeating the Seljuk Empire and the Ghurid Empire , and even threatening the Abbasid Caliphate . It is estimated that the empire spanned an area of 2.3 to 3.6 million square kilometres. The empire, which

4672-453: Was able to maneuver between the powerful Seljuk Sultan Sanjar and the equally powerful Kara Khitai ruler Yelü Dashi. He continued the land-gathering policy initiated by his predecessors, annexing Jand and Mangyshlak to Khwarazm. Many nomadic tribes were dependent on the Khwarazmshah. Towards the end of his life, Atsiz subordinated the entire northwestern part of Central Asia, and in fact, achieved its independence from its neighbors. Il-Arslan

4745-502: Was almost exclusively Persian. The spoken language of the Turkic population of Khwarazm was Kipchak Turkic and Oghuz , the latter being the legacy of the previous masters of the area, Seljuq Turkomans . However, the dominant language of the era and the one spoken by the majority in the important Khwarazmian cities was Persian . The language of the sedentary diwan was also Persian, and its members had to be well versed in Persian culture, regardless of their ethnic origin. Persian became

4818-464: Was also a Qipchaq. Jalal al-Din first appears in historical records in 1215, when Muhammad II divided his empire amongst his sons, giving the southwestern part (part of the former Ghurid Empire ) to Jalal al-Din. He attempted to flee to India , but the Mongols caught up with him before he got there, and he was defeated at the Battle of Indus . He escaped and sought asylum in the Sultanate of Delhi . Iltumish however denied this to him in deference to

4891-408: Was attacked by the Taliban during the Battle of Ghazni . Dozens of airstrikes were carried out in support of Afghan police and government forces and hundreds of Afghan soldiers, police, and Taliban insurgents were killed as well as dozens of civilians. In addition to the destruction and human suffering caused by the fighting, the Taliban also set fire to many buildings in the city. On 18 May 2020 ,

4964-426: Was manufactured from the late 12th century and the early 13th century, and dated Mina’i wares range from 1186 to 1224. Extensive lusterware also belongs to this period. It is estimated that the Khwarazmian army, prior to the Mongol invasion, consisted of about 40,000 cavalry, mostly of Turkic origin. Militias existed in Khwarazm's major cities but were of poor quality. With collective populations of around 700,000,

5037-431: Was modelled on the preceding Seljuk Empire, was defended by a huge cavalry army composed largely of Kipchak Turks . The Khwarezmian Empire was the last Turco-Persian Empire before the Mongol invasion of Central Asia . In 1219, the Mongols under their ruler Genghis Khan invaded the Khwarazmian Empire, successfully conquering the whole of it in just two years . The Mongols exploited existing weaknesses and conflicts in

5110-589: Was ruled by the Khwarezmid Empire , during which time it was destroyed by the Mongol armies of Genghis Khan 's son Ögedei Khan . In the first decades of the 11th century, Ghazni was the most important center of Persian literature . This was the result of the cultural policy of Sultan Mahmud (reigned 998–1030), who assembled a circle of scholars, philosophers, and poets around his throne in support of his claim to royal status in Iran . The noted Moroccan travelling scholar, Ibn Battuta , visiting Ghazni in 1333, wrote: "We travelled thence to Parwan , where I met

5183-400: Was the Shah of Khwarazm from 1156 until 1172. He was the son of Atsïz . Initially, Il-Arslan was made governor of Jand , an outpost on the Syr Darya which had recently been reconquered, by his father. In 1156, Atsiz died and Il-Arslan succeeded him as Khwarazmshah. Like his father, he decided to pay tribute to both the Seljuk sultan Sanjar and the Qara Khitai gurkhan. Sanjar died only

5256-520: Was the last of Khwarazmshahs, who ruled the remnants of the Khwarazmian Empire and northwestern India from 1220 to 1231. He was reportedly the eldest son of Ala ad-Din Muhammad II, while his mother was a Turkmen concubine named Ay Chichek. Due to the low status of Jalal al-Din's mother, his powerful grandmother and Qipchaq princess Terken Khatun refused to support him as heir to the throne, and instead favored his half-brother Uzlagh-Shah, whose mother

5329-500: Was unable to hold on to the province. Atsiz then attacked Bukhara, but by 1141 he again submitted to Sanjar, who pardoned him and formally returned control of Khwarazm over to him. The same year that Sanjar pardoned Atsiz, the Kara Khitai under Yelü Dashi defeated the Seljuqs in the Battle of Qatwan (1141) , near Samarqand . Atsiz took advantage of the defeat to invade Khorasan , occupying Merv and Nishapur . Yelü Dashi, however, sent

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