The Ghaznavid Empire was a state in the region of today's Afghanistan that existed from 977 to 1186. It was created by Turks under Khan Sebük Tigin with the city Ghazna (Ghazni) as capital, replacing the Samanids. Sebük Tigin made himself lord of nearly all the present territory of Afghanistan and of the Punjab. In 997, Mahmud, the son of Sebük Tigin, succeeded his father upon his death, and with him Ghazni and the Ghaznavid dynasty have become perpetually associated. Issuing forth year after year from the capital, Mahmud carried fully seventeen expeditions of devastation through northern India and Gujarat, as well as others to the north and west. From the borders of Kurdistan to Samarkand, from the Caspian Sea to the Yamuna, his authority was acknowledged.

The wealth brought back to Ghazni was enormous, and contemporary historians (e.g. Abolfazl Beyhaghi, Ferdowsi) give glowing descriptions of the magnificence of the capital, as well as of the conquerors munificent support of literature. Mahmud died in 1030, and his son Mas'ud was unable to control the conquered lands and lost the Battle of Dandanqan in 1040. Even though there was some revival of importance under Ibrahim (1059-1099), the empire never reached anything like the same splendour and power. It was soon overshadowed by the Seljuk Turks of Persia. The Ghaznavid Empire ended in 1149 with the capture of Ghazna by the Ghurids . Ghaznavid power in northern India continued until the conquest of Lahore in 1186.

The Ghaznavid Dynasty:

• Abu Mansur Sebük Tigin Khan 977-997
• Ismail 997-998
• Yamin ud-Dawlah Mahmud 998-1030
• Jalal ud-Dawlah Mehmed (Mohammed) 1030-1031
• Shihab ud-Dawlah Mas'ud I 1031–1041
• Jalal ud-Dawlah Mehmed (Mohammed) (second time) 1041
• Shihab ud-Dawlah Mawdud 1041-1050
• Mas'ud II 1050
• Baha ud-Dawlah Ali 1050
• Izz ud-Dawlah Abd ul-Rashid 1053
• Qiwam ud-Dawlah Toğrül (Tughril) 1053
• Jamal ud-Dawlah Farrukhzad 1053-1059
• Zahir ud-Dalah Ibrahim 1059-1099
• Ala ud-Dawlah Mas'ud III 1099-1115
• Kemal ud-Dawlah Shirzad 1115
• Sultan ud-Dawlah Arslan Shah 1115-1118
• Yamin ud-Dawlah Bahram Shah 1118-1152
• Mu'izz ud-Dawlah Khusrau Shah 1152-1160
• Taj ud-Dawlah Khusrau Malik 1160-1186

See also: Full list of Iranian Kingdoms