Abu Mansur Nasir ad-Din wa'd-Dawla Sabuktigin was the founder of the Ghaznavid dynasty,and amir of Ghazna from 977 to 997. Sabuktigin was a Turkic slave who was bought by Alp-Tegin,the commander of the royal guard of the Samanid dynasty. Alp-Tegin established himself as the governor of Ghazna in 962,and died a year later in 963. Afterwards,Sabuktigin built his prestige among other slave soldiers in Ghazna until he was elected by them as their ruler in 977.
Abu Salih Mansur,better known as Mansur I (منصور) was amir of the Samanids from 961 to 976. The son of Nuh I,his reign was characterized by weak rule and perpetual financial troubles. Mansur was notably the first Samanid ruler to the use title of King of Kings (Shahanshah),most likely as a response to his rival,the Buyid ruler Adud al-Dawla,who likewise used the title. He is also known by the sobriquet Amīr-i Sadid.
Falak al-Ma'ali Manuchihr,better known as Manuchihr,was the ruler of the Ziyarids. He was the son of Qabus.
Alp-Tegin,or Alptekin,was a Turkic slave commander of the Samanid Empire,who would later become the semi-independent governor of Ghazna from 962 until his death in 963.
The Al-i Muhtaj or Muhtajids was an Iranian or Iranicized Arab ruling family of the small principality of Chaghaniyan. They ruled during the 10th and early 11th centuries.
Chaghaniyan,known as al-Saghaniyan in Arabic sources,was a medieval region and principality located on the right bank of the Oxus River,to the south of Samarkand.
Abu 'l-Fadl Muhammad ibn Abi Abdallah al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Katib,commonly known after his father as Ibn al-'Amid was a Persian statesman who served as the vizier of the Buyid ruler Rukn al-Dawla for thirty years,from 940 until his death in 970. His son,Abu'l-Fath Ali ibn Muhammad,also called Ibn al-'Amid,succeeded him in his office.
Abu Salih Mansur was a Samanid prince,who served as governor during the reign of his uncle Isma'il ibn Ahmad,his cousin Ahmad Samani,and Nasr II.
Simjur al-Dawati was a 10th-century Turkic general who served the Samanids. He was the founder of the Simjurid family which would play an important role in the Samanid Empire.
Ibrahim I ibn Marzuban I was the Sallarid ruler of Dvin (957–979) and later Azerbaijan. He was the son and successor of Marzuban ibn Muhammad.
Abu Mansur Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Razzaq ibn 'Abdallah ibn Farrukh,also simply known as Abu Mansur Muhammad and Ibn 'Abd al-Razzaq,was an Iranian aristocrat who served the Samanids during the most of career,and briefly served as governor of Azerbaijan under the Buyids.
Abu'l Haret Ahmad was the third Farighunid ruler of Guzgan from 982 to 1000. He was the son and successor of Abu'l Haret Muhammad.
Mansur ibn Qara-Tegin,commonly known after his father as Ibn Qaratakin was a Turkic military officer of the Samanids in the mid-10th century.
Ibrahim ibn Simjur was a Samanid military officer from the Simjurid family.
Böritigin or Böri,also known as Pirai,was a Turkic officer,who served as the Samanid governor of Ghazna from 974/975 to 977.
Abu Ishaq Ibrahim,also known as Ishaq ibn Alp-Tegin,was a Turkic officer,who was the Samanid governor of Ghazna from September 963 to November 966. He was the son and successor of Alp-Tegin.
Abu Bakr Lawik was a ruler of Ghazna from the Lawik dynasty. He was most likely a vassal of the Samanid Empire. In 962,the Turkic slave commander Alp-Tegin captured Ghazna after besieging the Citadel of Ghazni for four months. However,a few years later,Lawik managed to re-capture the town from Abu Ishaq Ibrahim,the son and successor of Alp-Tegin. This was not to last long;Abu Ishaq Ibrahim shortly returned to the town with Samanid aid,and took control of the town once again. Abu Bakr Lawik is thereafter no longer mentioned;he died before 977,the year that Ghaznavid control was established in Ghazna.
Ghazni is a city in southeastern Afghanistan,which served as the capital of the Ghaznavid Empire from 977 to 1163.
The Lawīk dynasty was the last native dynasty which ruled Ghazni prior to the Ghaznavid conquest in the present-day Afghanistan. Lawiks were originally Hindus,but later became Muslims. They were closely related to the Hindu Shahis,and after 877,ruled under the Hindu Shahi suzerainty.
