History www.iasscore.in EARLY MUSLIM INVASIONS The Arab Conquest of Sind • By the 8th Century AD, the Arabs had acquired a core position from Spain to India, connecting the trade of Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. • During the early years of the 8th Century, the Umayyads reached the height of their power and created the largest ever-Mulsim state that existed. • Arabs were also attracted by the wealth of India. • However, the reason for the invasion of Sindh was to avenge the plunder of Arab Ships by pirates of Debol. King Dahir refused to punish the pirates. • Hajjaj the governor of Iraq despatched an army under Muhammad BinE Qasim. • At Rawar, in AD 712 Muhammad Bin Qasim attacked Dahir who was defeated. Dahir was caught and killed. R • Muhammad Bin Qasim now proceeded forward and within a short span he conquered various important places in Sind including Brahmanabad. O • Muhammad Bin Qasim conquered the major portion of Sind up to the lower Punjab. • Many Arabs settled down in Sind and established relationsC with the local population. The Arab influence continued for a long period with pockets of Muslim influence established in various parts of Sind. Mahmud of Ghazni S • In all Mahmud Ghazni invaded India 17 times during AD 1000-1026. • Mahmud Ghazni was Son of Sabuktigin, theS founder of Ghazni dynasty & Turkish slave commander. • Mahmud himself claimed descent from the Iranian legendary king Afrasiyab. • He was the first Muslim ruler to penetrateG deep into India. • He led 17 expeditions in all into India from A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1027. The initial raids were directed against the Hindusahi rulers who at the time held Peshawar and the Punjab. • The chief motive of Mahmud invasions in India was the desire to secure its wealth. • On the north-western frontier of India there were three principal kingdoms. • The Brahmana dynasty of the Shahiyas ruled over a wide territory, extending from Kashmir to Multan and from Lambhan to Sarhind. • To the south of it lay the Shia kingdom of Multan, and the principality of Mansura where the Arab dynasty held authority. • Mahmud attacks on India were an attempt to fulfil his ambition to make Ghazni the formidable power in the politics of Central Asia. Notes 1 www.iasscore.in • Mahmud’s raids into India were only to acquire the famous wealth of India which would help him to consolidate his vast rule in Central Asia. • The Ghaznavids had their control on parts of Punjab and Sind which continued till AD 1135. • Firddausi, who wrote Shah Nama in which he glorified the ancient Iranian heroes, was the poet laureate of Mahmud. • Alberuni, who wrote ‘Kitabul-Hind or An Enquiry Into India’ had accompanied him to India along with his corps of army. E R O • The Ghaznavid conquest of the Punjab and CMultan completely changed the political situation in north India. • Mahmud’s invasions exposed the weak defenceS of Indian kingdoms and opened possibility of attacks in future by the Turks. Muhammad Ghori • Towards the middle of the twelfthS century two new powers rose to prominence - the Khwarizmi empire based in Iran and the Ghurid empire based in Ghur in north-west Afghanistan. • The power of the Ghurids increasedG under Sultan Alauddin who earned the title of ‘Jahansoz’ or the ‘world burner’. He ravaged Ghazni and burnt it to the ground. • In A.D. 1173, Shahabuddin Muhammad also known as Muizzuddin Muhammad bin Sam (called Muhammed Ghori) ascended the throne of Ghazni. • Muhammad Ghori conquered Multan and Uchh from Karmatia rulers in A.D. 1175. • In A.D. 1178, he tried to penetrate into Gujarat but was defeated and completely routed by the Chalukya ruler of Gujarat, Mularaja II, near Mount Abu. • After that Muhammad Ghuri attacked Punjab using Khybar pass. Peshawar was occupied in A.D. 1179- 80. By A.D.1182, the whole of Sind was subdued. • Next he captured Lahore, deposed Khusru Malik, the Ghaznavid prince, and annexed Punjab to his dominions. Notes 2.