Makran had been one of the easternmost provinces of the
Caliphate after its conquest by the Muslims in 644. In the 9th century, especially after the
Abbasid dynasty's hold on the frontier provinces of the Caliphate began to weaken, Makran had been overrun by
Kharijites. According to the historian
Mas'ūdī the Kharijites were still a significant force in Makran by the time the Ma'danids took control there. Ma'danids used the Sanskrit title of
Mahraj. They established their capital at Kiz or Kij, and although seldom playing a major role in regional affairs, Ma'danids were able to maintain their authority in Makran for at least a century and a half. At some point the Ma'danids became tributary to the
Saffarid dynasty of
Sistan. In 907/908 the Saffarid prince
Al-Laith invaded Makran after 'Isa had gone into arrears on the required payments, and was able to compel the Ma'danid to give three years' worth of tribute. Payments to the Saffarids lasted until the mid-10th century at the latest. In 971 the
Buyid amir
'Adud al-Daula, who had recently conquered the bordering province of
Kerman from the
Banu Ilyas, compelled the Ma'danids to recognize Buyid suzerainty. Soon after this, however, the Ma'danids switched their loyalties to the
Turkish ruler of
Ghazni,
Sabuktigin, beginning nearly a century of allegiance to the Ghaznavid dynasty. In the early 11th century the ruler of Makran was Ma'dan. After Ma'dan's death in 1025/1026 a succession dispute broke out among his two sons, 'Isa and Abu'l-'Askar Husayn. The Ghaznavid sultan
Mahmud () negotiated a settlement between the brothers, but it broke down when 'Isa rebelled against the Ghaznavids in 1029. Two years later Mahmud's son
Mas'ud sent an army which killed 'Isa and installed Abu'l-'Askar Husayn in his place. The latter ruled Makran until after 1058 and was known as a man of learning. Some time after his death the power of the Ma'danids came to an end, presumably in the late 11th or 12th century. Makran remained vassal under the Ghaznavids until 1078 AD. ==See also==