AHistoryIndependent states
Ghazni
Capital of the Ghaznavid state: scholars and poets such as Ferdowsi, al-Biruni and Unsuri gathered at Sultan Mahmud's court.
In 977 the Turkic commander Sebüktegin took power in Ghazni and founded the Ghaznavid dynasty. His son Sultan Mahmud (998-1030) led seventeen campaigns into India and made Ghazni one of the richest capitals of the East. Al-Biruni and the poet Unsuri came to his court, and Ferdowsi presented the Shahnameh to Mahmud.
Two star-shaped 12th-century minarets of Sultan Masud III and Bahram Shah still stand at Ghazni. In 1150-1151 the Ghurid Ala al-Din Husayn burned the city for seven days and earned the name Jahan-suz, "world-burner". The Ghaznavids moved their capital to Lahore.
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Updated: November 12, 2026