Ghaznavid–Samanid war
| Ghaznavid conquest of Khorasan | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Isma'il Muntasir crossing the Syr Darya river during clashes with Mahmud of Ghazni in 1003–1004, Jami‛ al-Tawarikh | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Ghaznavids | Samanids | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Mahmud of Ghazni Abu'l Nasr Muzaffar Arslan Jadhib Abu Sai'd Altuntash Farighun bin Muhammad Tughānjuq |
Mansur II X Abd al-Malik II # Isma'il Muntasir X Fa'iq Khass # Tuzan Beg Abu'l Qasim Simjuri (POW) Dara bin Qabus | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
32,000 cavalry 170 elephants | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown |
2,000 killed 2,500 captured | ||||||||
In 999–1004 AD a series of military campaign was led by the Ghaznavid dynasty under Mahmud of Ghazni, to seize control of Khorasan. Originally appointed as governors of Ghazni by the Samanids, the Ghaznavids, under Mahmud of Ghazni, formally demanded administrative control over Khorasan, which led the Ghaznavids annexing the region.
In the late 10th century the historical region of Khorasan was administrated by Ghaznavids under the Samanids. Mahmud who lost the control of the territory, demanded the charge of Khorasan to the Samanid Amir Mansur II. The Samanid empire, weakened by internal conflicts and external pressures, refused the demand. Despairing of getting back Khorasan by peaceful means, Mahmud decided to take it by force.