Alp-Tegin's invasion of Kabul and Ghazna
| Alp Tegin's invasion of Kabul and Ghazna | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Present Afghanistan | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Kingdom of Ghazna |
Hindu Shahi Lawik dynasty Kingdom of Bamiyan | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Alp-Tegin |
Bhimdeva shahi Abu Bakr Lawik Abu Ali Lawik (POW) Shir barik (POW) | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
At Kabul: 10,000 forces |
At Kabul: 3,000+ forces | ||||||||
Alp-Tegin's invasion of Kabul and Ghazna was a military expedition in which turkic general Alp-Tegin fought against the lawik kings, king of bamiyan and hindu shahis.[1]
Background
Alp-Tegin was originally part of the nomadic Turks that roamed the Central Asian steppes, but was later captured and brought to the Samanid slave trade as a slave to the Samanid capital of Bukhara, where he was raised in the Samanid court.[2]
Alp-Tegin was dismissed from his position as governor of Khorasan by Samanid ruler Mansur I upon the latter's accession. This dismissal led to Alp-Tegin's flight and subsequent establishment of the independent kingdom in Ghazna.[3]
Battles
Alp-Tegin fought against the army of mansur l and won a decisive victory over him near Khulam pass in 962 AD.[4] After a short period of time, he attacked and defeated the local ruler of Bamiyan, Shir barik, who was taken as a prisoner. Later Shir barik converted to Islam and was set free.[5][6]
Having subdued Bamiyan, Alp-Tegin then attacked the kabul shahi kingdom. Its ruler had received 3,000 troops under the charge of lawik's son to strengthen its forces. When the news of the reinforcement reached Alp-Tegin, he immediately selected 10,000 troops and rushed deeply into the armies of Hindu Shahi and Lawik, defeating them and forcing them to flee.[7][8][9][10] The son of Abu Bakr Lawik was captured, but later Alp-Tegin sent him back to his father.
Lawik took him lightly and started preparing for battle. Alp-Tegin heard of the news and rushed to crush the lawik power in Ghazna.[7] Soon the conflict between the two forces arose, but the lawik were defeated and retired to the citadel. Alp-Tegin surrounded the citadel and after the 20 days of siege he defeated, and forced Abu Bakr Lawik to surrender.[11][12] Following this decisive victory over lawik, Alp-Tegin became the ruler of Ghazna.[13]
Aftermath
Alp-Tegin was succeeded by Abu Ishaq Ibrahim of Ghazna. During his reign he lost Ghazna to Lawik and Hindu Shahi, but he managed to take it back with the help of Samanids.[14]
References
- ^ Rehman 1976, p. 126.
- ^ Davaran, Fereshteh (2010). Continuity in Iranian Identity: Resilience of a Cultural Heritage. Abingdon and New York: Routledge. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-415-48104-5. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ Houtsma, M. Th; Arnold, T. W. (2006). Biographical Encyclopaedia of Islam. Cosmo Publications. p. 717. ISBN 978-81-307-0387-9.
- ^ Nāẓim, Muhammad (1971). The Life and Times of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna. CUP Archive. p. 25.
- ^ Güzel, Hasan Celâl; Oğuz, Cem; Karatay, Osman (2002). The Turks: Middle ages [He came to Ghazna after this march during which he subjugated the ruler of Bamiyan, Shir Barik, and the Indian ruler of Kabul. Alptegin defeated the ruler of Ghazna, Abu Bakr Levik (or Enuk).]. Yeni Türkiye. p. 85. ISBN 978-975-6782-57-6.
- ^ Darke, Hubert (2012-08-21). The Book of Government or Rules for Kings: The Siyar al Muluk or Siyasat-nama of Nizam al-Mulk. Routledge. p. 113. ISBN 978-1-136-60296-2.
- ^ a b Rehman 1976, p. 127.
- ^ Peacock & Tor 2017.
- ^ Journal of Asian Civilisations. Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisations. 1998. p. 15.
- ^ Bosworth, C. Edmund (2018-03-30). The Ornament of Histories: A History of the Eastern Islamic Lands AD 650-1041: The Persian Text of Abu Sa'id 'Abd al-Hayy Gardizi. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-83860-955-9.
- ^ Peacock & Tor 2017, p. 110.
- ^ Petrie, Cameron A. (2020-12-28). Resistance at the Edge of Empires: The Archaeology and History of the Bannu basin from 1000 BC to AD 1200. Oxbow Books. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-78570-306-5.
- ^ Journal of Asian Civilisations. Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisations. 1998. p. 15.
- ^ Fisher, William Bayne; Frye, R. N. (1975-06-26). The Cambridge History of Iran. Cambridge University Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-521-20093-6.
Bibliography
- Peacock, A. C. S.; Tor, D. G. (2017). Medieval Central Asia and the Persianate World: Iranian Tradition and Islamic Civilisation. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85772-743-5.
- Rehman, Abdur (1976). The last two dynasties of the Sahis: an analysis of their history, archaeology, coinage and palaeography (Thesis). Canberra, Australia: Australian National University. doi:10.25911/5d74e50054bb9. Retrieved 30 June 2025.