Mahmud of Ghaznavid

Yamin ul-Dawlah Mahmud (in full: Yamin ul-Dawlah Abd ul-Qasim Mahmud Ibn Sebük Tigin; 971 - April 30 1030) was the ruler of the Ghaznavid Empire from 997 until his death. Issuing forth year after year from the capital of Ghazna (Ghazni), Mahmud carried seventeen campaigns 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 Ganges, his authority was acknowledged. The wealth brought back to Ghazna 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.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.