Ghazni was a thriving
Buddhist center before and during the 7th century AD. Excavations have revealed religious artifacts of both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. In 644 AD, the Chinese pilgrim
Xuanzang visited the city of Jaguda (probably
Ghazni), while returning from
Varnu (modern Bannu, Pakistan)
Islamization In 683
AD,
armies from the
Umayyad Caliphate brought
Islam to the area and attempted to conquer the capital of Ghazni but the local tribes fiercely resisted. Its resistance was so famed that
Yaqub Saffari (840-879) from
Zaranj made an example of Ghazni when he ranged the vast region conquering in the name of Islam. The city was completely destroyed by the
Saffarids in 869. A substantial portion of the local population including Hindus and Buddhists were converted to Islam by Mahmud of Ghazni , built by
Bahram Shah during the
Ghaznavid Empire After the rebuilding of the city by Yaqub's brother, it became the dazzling capital of the
Ghaznavids from 994 to 1160, encompassing much of
North India,
Persia and
Central Asia. Many iconoclastic campaigns were launched from Ghazni into India. The Ghaznavids took Islam to India and returned with fabulous riches taken from both prince and temple god. Contemporary visitors and residents at Ghazni write with wonder of the ornateness of the buildings, the great libraries, the sumptuousness of the court ceremonies and of the wealth of precious objects owned by Ghazni's citizens.
Ferishta records attacks by
Muhammad of Ghor: "at the same time most of the infidels who inhabited the mountains between Ghazni and the Indus were also converted, some by force and others by persuasion." Ghazni's eponymous capital was razed in 1151 by the
Ghorid Alauddin. It again flourished but only to be permanently devastated, this time in 1221 by
Genghis Khan and his
Mongol armies after 6 years of
Khwarezmid rule. Ghazni's strategic position, both economically and militarily, assured its revival initially under the
Qarlughids, albeit without its dazzling former grandeur. Ghazni is famous for its
minarets built on a stellar plan. They date from the middle of the twelfth century and are the surviving element of the mosque of Bahramshah. Their sides are decorated with geometric patterns. Upper sections of the minarets have been damaged or destroyed. The most important mausoleum located in Ghazni is that of
Sultan Mahmud's. Others include the tombs of poets and scientists, for example
Al-Biruni and
Sanai. The only ruins in Old Ghazni retaining a semblance of architectural form are two towers, about 43 m (140 ft) high and some 365 m (1,200 ft) apart. According to inscriptions, the towers were constructed by
Mahmud of Ghazni and his son.
Ibn Battuta noted "The greater part of the town is in ruins, with nothing but a fraction of it still standing, although it was formerly a great city."
Babur records in his
memoirs that Ghazni was part of Zabulistan. The area was controlled by the
Mughals until
Nader Shah and his Persian forces invaded it in 1738.
Ahmad Shah Durrani conquered Ghazni in 1747 and made it part of the
Durrani Empire. During the
First Anglo-Afghan War, the capital of Ghazni province was destroyed by the
British-led Indian forces in the
Battle of Ghazni. In the 1960s a 15-meter female Buddha was discovered lying on its back and surrounded by empty pillars that once held rows of smaller male Buddhas. Parts of the female Buddha have been stolen. In the 1980s a mud brick shelter was created to protect the sculpture, but the wood supports were stolen for firewood and the shelter partially collapsed.
Recent history forces in
Rashidan district during "Operation Passage" in April 2009. move into a village during a combined patrol in 2012. Since the
US-led invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, there has been a
Provincial reconstruction base and a
NATO forces base. These western forces (mostly
Polish Armed Forces) were hunting Taliban and
al-Qaida militants, who were active in the area. Like many southern Afghan provinces, Ghazni has a precarious security situation. The
Taliban insurgents are found in the rural areas outside of the capital, and are involved in attacks on provincial schools and government infrastructure. The province has avoided the outright warfare seen in other provinces of Afghanistan such as
Helmand and
Kandahar, but that is due more to political expediency and the tactical plans of the
NATO-led
ISAF force than the existence of a stable security situation in the province. Ex-Governor
Taj Mohammad was killed by insurgents in 2006 after being appointed police chief of the province with a mandate to quell the power of the Taliban. On the same day there was an unsuccessful attempt on the life of the governor at the time,
Sher Alam Ibrahimi. There is a Polish and American
Provincial Reconstruction Team base located in Ghazni. • In late April 2007, news agencies reported that Taliban fighters had taken control of Giro District in the province. The Taliban reportedly killed the district administrator, chief of police (who had been on the job for only one month) and three police officers. The Taliban withdrew from the district center one day later. • In July 2007,
23 South Korean volunteers were kidnapped in the province by the Taliban. • On September 28, 2010, the Deputy Governor of Ghazni and five others were killed after a suicide bomber on a motorized rickshaw attacked their vehicle. Deputy Governor Mohammad Kazim Allahyar and several men travelling with him were killed instantly when the attacker detonated his explosives at the back of their car near the airport in Ghazni City. The bodies were so badly burnt that there was some confusion about the identity of the other victims. Provincial police chief Delawar Zahid reported Allahyar's son, nephew and driver died, along with two civilians passing by on a bicycle. • As of 26 September 2014, there is ongoing fighting in key districts between the Taliban and
Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). • After steady gains by the Taliban across the province in 2017 and early 2018 the
Battle of Ghazni took place in August 2018. ==Geography==