The Qarlughids were a tribe of Turkic origin that controlled

Ghazni Ghazni (, ), historically known as Ghaznayn () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana (), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan with a population of around 190,000 people. The city is strategica ...

, lands of the

Bamyan Bamyan (), also spelled Bamian or Bamiyan, is the capital of Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan. Its population of approximately 100,000 people makes it the largest city in Hazarajat. Bamyan is at an altitude of about above sea level. The ...

, the

Kurram Valley Kurram District () is a district in the Kohat Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The name Kurram comes from the river ''Kwarma'' () in Pashto, which itself derives from the Sanskrit word ''Krumu'' (). Until 2018, it funct ...

(Ghazna, Banban, and Kurraman), and established a short-lived Muslim principality and dynasty that lasted between 1236 and 1266. The Qarlughids (or Karluk Turks) arrived from the north to settle in the regions of

Hazarajat Hazarajat (), also known as Hazaristan () is a mostly mountainous region in the central Afghan highlands, central highlands of Afghanistan, among the Kuh-e Baba mountains in the western extremities of the Hindu Kush. It is the homeland of the H ...

together with the armies of

Muhammad II of Khwarezm 'Alā' al-Din Muhammad II ( Persian: علاءالدین محمد خوارزمشاه; full name: ''Ala ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Abul-Fath Muhammad Sanjar ibn Tekish'') was the Shah of the Khwarazmian Empire from 3 August 1200 to 11 January 1221. His anc ...

, the Shah of Khwarezm. Throughout most of its existence, the Qarlugh Kingdom functioned as a

buffer state A buffer state is a country geographically lying between two rival or potentially hostile great powers. Its existence can sometimes be thought to prevent conflict between them. A buffer state is sometimes a mutually agreed upon area lying between t ...

between its two powerful neighbors, the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

to the east and south and the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...

to the north and west. With the

Malik Malik (; ; ; variously Romanized ''Mallik'', ''Melik'', ''Malka'', ''Malek'', ''Maleek'', ''Malick'', ''Mallick'', ''Melekh'') is the Semitic term translating to "king", recorded in East Semitic and Arabic, and as mlk in Northwest Semitic d ...

on the throne, the Qarlugh would frequently switch allegiances between their two powerful neighbors and through balanced diplomacy managed to become an important trade intermediary between the

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

and the lands of the

subcontinent A continent is any of several large geographical regions. Continents are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria. A continent could be a single large landmass, a part of a very large landmass, as in the case of A ...

. One testament to Qarlughid prosperity is the significant coinage found from this dynasty. File:Qarlughids. Sind. Saif al-Din al-Hasan 1239-1249 In the name of the Abbasid Caliph, al-Zahir struck 1225-1226.jpg, Coinage of Saif al-Din al-Hasan (1239–1249), ruler of the Qarlughids. Sind mint. In the name of the Abbasid Caliph, al-Zahir. Struck in 1225-1226 CE. File:Qarlughids. Nasir al-Din Muhammad Qarlugh. AH 647-658 AD 1249-1259. Æ Jital (16mm, 3.38 g). Brockage strike. Incuse of reverse śri maha mada ka raluka in three lines.jpg, Coinage of Nasir al-Din Muhammad Qarlugh (1249–1259) in the Indian Sarada script: ''śri maha /mada ka/ raluka''.

References

External links

* http://collection.britishmuseum.org/id/thesauri/x116561 * http://grifterrec.rasmir.com/islam/qarlughid.html {{Iran topics Turkic peoples of Asia Dynasties of Afghanistan History of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Former monarchies of India History of Ghazni Province Muslim dynasties