Ghaznavid, Saljuqs, and other Turkic dynasties

After Booye, their territory broke to pieces and divided between local rulers. Around 1040 AD, a local ruler in Ghazna(now in Afghanistan) named Mahmoud, claimed all of the Booye territories. Mahmoud was from a Turkic origin, and his parents where soldiers and commanders in Booye army. Mahmoud called himself Sultan, and started conquering Iranian and northern Indian lands. By 1060 AD, he was ruling a country almost as large as Sasanid empire. After him, his successors lost most of the country to another Turkic tribe called “Saljuqs”.

The leader of Saljuqs, called Toghrol, chose Isphahan as his capital. His successors, Aleb Arsalan and Malek Shah, were among the most powerful of Islamic rulers. Malek Shah invaded Syria and Anatolia(present day Turkey), and his country was the biggest country in the Islamic world. After his death (1092), the country divided to three parts: Iran went to his sons, Turkey went to his cousin, and Malek Shah’s brother, Tatesh, established his rule in Syria.

The last Saljuqid king of Iran, Toghrol III, was deposed by Eel Arsalan, king of Kharazm. He was the first king of “Kharazmshahian” dynasty, the dynasty that ruled most of Iran until the Mongol attack.