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Ghazni: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Ghazni
The name Ghazni derives from the Persian word ganj, meaning treasure, a moniker that has echoed through millennia of history for a city that has repeatedly been plundered and rebuilt. Situated on a plateau at approximately 2,200 meters above sea level in southeastern Afghanistan, this strategic hub has served as the capital of Ghazni Province and a critical junction on the ancient Kabul, Kandahar Highway for thousands of years. While modern Ghazni boasts a population of 205,965 people and functions as a thriving commercial center with factories, bazaars, and universities, its true significance lies in its layered past. The city was founded as a small market town in antiquity and was conquered by Cyrus II in the 6th century BCE, eventually becoming part of the Achaemenid Empire. It was subsequently incorporated into the empire of Alexander the Great in 329 BCE, where it was known as Alexandria in Opiana, a name that hints at its Hellenistic roots before the region emerged as the heart of Zabulistan. Under the rule of the Nezak Huns from the 5th to the 7th centuries, the area became a major center of Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and Hinduism, a religious melting pot that attracted the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang in 644. Xuanzang described the city, which he called Hexina, as a place of immense wealth, noting that the soil was good for growing aromatic turmeric and that the region produced the hingu herb, known today as asafoetida. The climate was described as severely cold with much frost and snow, yet the cultivated farmlands were high and dry, producing abundant winter wheat and luxuriant vegetation. This ancient prosperity set the stage for the city's future as a dazzling capital of empire, a role it would assume under the Ghaznavids.
The Golden Age of Empire
In the 10th century, the city transformed from a regional trading post into the dazzling capital of the Ghaznavid Empire, a period that would define its cultural and political identity for nearly two hundred years. The transformation began when Sabuktigin, a Turkic slave commander of the Samanid Empire, turned Ghazni into the capital in the 10th century, establishing a dynasty that would encompass much of what is today Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Eastern Iran, and Rajasthan. The most famous ruler of this era was Sultan Mahmud, who reigned from 998 to 1030, and whose cultural policy assembled a circle of scholars, philosophers, and poets around his throne to support his claim to royal status in Iran. Under Mahmud's rule, Ghazni became the most important center of Persian literature in the first decades of the 11th century, attracting luminaries such as the famous polymath Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni, the mathematician Abu Nasr Mansur, and royal poets like Farrukhi Sistani and Manuchehri Dāmghānī. These figures worked and died in Ghazni, creating a legacy of intellectual achievement that rivaled the military conquests of the empire. The Ghaznavids took Islam to Hindustan and returned with fabulous riches looted from Hindu temples, which funded the construction of magnificent architectural marvels. The city was home to the Palace of Sultan Mas'ud III and the Minarets of Ghazni, which date from the middle of the 12th century and are the surviving elements of the mosque of Bahramshah. These minarets, standing about 65 meters high and 10 meters apart, were adorned with intricate geometric patterns and terra-cotta tiles, serving as monuments to the victories of the Afghan armies that built the empire. Despite the city being sacked in 1151 by the Ghorid ruler Ala'uddin, it became their secondary capital in 1173 and flourished once again, proving its resilience as a cultural center of the eastern Islamic world.
The name Ghazni derives from the Persian word ganj, meaning treasure. This moniker has echoed through millennia of history for a city that has repeatedly been plundered and rebuilt.
When was Ghazni founded and by whom?
The city was founded as a small market town in antiquity and was conquered by Cyrus II in the 6th century BCE. It eventually became part of the Achaemenid Empire and was subsequently incorporated into the empire of Alexander the Great in 329 BCE.
Who ruled Ghazni during its golden age as the capital of the Ghaznavid Empire?
Sultan Mahmud reigned from 998 to 1030 and transformed Ghazni into the most important center of Persian literature in the first decades of the 11th century. Famous polymath Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni and royal poets like Farrukhi Sistani worked and died in Ghazni under his rule.
What happened to the Parinirvana reclining Buddha in Ghazni?
A 12-meter long Parinirvana reclining Buddha was excavated between the late 1960s and early 1970s and believed to have been built in the 8th century CE. Tragically, in 2001, the Taliban blew the Buddha up, believing it to be idolatrous.
When did the Taliban capture Ghazni in 2021?
The city was invaded by Taliban forces on the 12th of August 2021 as part of their 2021 offensive. It became the tenth provincial capital to be captured by them during this campaign.
What is the current population and ethnic composition of Ghazni?
Modern Ghazni boasts a population of 205,965 people and is estimated to be around 50% Tajik, 25% Hazara, and 25% Pashtun. The city serves as the capital of Ghazni Province and functions as a thriving commercial center with factories, bazaars, and universities.
The most enduring symbols of Ghazni's imperial glory are the Ghazni Minarets, two toffee-colored towers that have survived wars and invasions for more than eight centuries. Constructed in the early 12th century by Sultan Mahmud and his son, these towers were originally part of a larger mosque complex but stand today as the only ruins in Old Ghazni retaining a semblance of architectural form. The sides of the minarets are decorated with intricate geometric patterns, and some of the upper sections have been damaged or destroyed over time, yet they remain a testament to the engineering prowess of the Ghaznavid era. The most important mausoleum located in Ghazni is that of Sultan Mahmud, while other significant tombs include those of poets and scientists, such as the tomb of Al-Biruni, the great scholar who worked and died in the city. The city also holds the Tapa-e Sardar Buddhist site, known for a stupa on a hilltop surrounded by a row of smaller stupas. Nearby, a 12-meter long Parinirvana reclining Buddha was excavated between the late 1960s and early 1970s, believed to have been built in the 8th century CE as part of a monastery complex. 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. Tragically, in 2001, the Taliban blew the Buddha up, believing it to be idolatrous, destroying a piece of history that had survived the rise and fall of empires. The Citadel of Ghazni, another key historical site, has also witnessed the ebb and flow of power, serving as a fortress that was partially destroyed by British Indian forces during the First Anglo-Afghan War. These monuments, from the Islamic minarets to the Buddhist stupas, represent the city's unique position as a crossroads of civilizations, where Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Islam have all left their mark on the landscape.
The Siege of Empire
The strategic importance of Ghazni made it a constant target for invading forces, a reality that turned the city into a battleground for centuries of conflict. During the First Anglo-Afghan War, the fortified city was partially destroyed by British forces on the 23rd of July 1839 in the Battle of Ghazni, an event that marked the beginning of a long period of foreign intervention and internal strife. The Civil war in Afghanistan and the continued conflict between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance during the 1990s put the relics of Ghazni in jeopardy, threatening to erase the physical evidence of its glorious past. In 2018, the city was attacked by Taliban forces during the August 10 Ghazni offensive, where dozens of airstrikes were carried out in support of Afghan police and government forces. The fighting resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Afghan soldiers, police, and Taliban insurgents, as well as dozens of civilians, and the Taliban set fire to many buildings in the city, causing destruction and human suffering. On the 18th of May 2020, a suicide Humvee bomber affiliated with the Taliban killed nine Afghan intelligence personnel and injured 40 others at the National Directorate of Security unit in Ghazni. The city was invaded by Taliban forces on the 12th of August 2021 as part of their 2021 offensive, becoming the tenth provincial capital to be captured by them. Despite these repeated assaults, Ghazni's strategic position, both economically and militarily, assured its revival, albeit without its dazzling former grandeur. Through the centuries, the city has figured prominently as the all-important key to the possession of Kabul, making it a focal point for any power seeking to control Afghanistan. The destruction of the city's fortifications and the loss of cultural treasures like the Parinirvana Buddha serve as grim reminders of the fragility of history in the face of modern warfare.
The Modern City
In the 21st century, Ghazni has emerged as a modern city with a population of 205,965 people, serving as the capital of Ghazni Province and a hub for trade, transport, and tourism. The city is home to Ghazni University and a number of other universities, including the Jahan Maleeka School, an all-girls school with over 5,000 students and 150 teachers, and the Naswan Shaher Kohna School, another all-girls school with over 3,000 students. The population of Ghazni is multi-ethnic, estimated to be around 50% Tajik, 25% Hazara, and 25% Pashtun, reflecting the diverse cultural fabric of the region. The city's economy is based on agriculture, trade, transport, and tourism, with agriculture being the dominant land use at 28%. The Sultan Dam to the north of the city and the Sarda Dam to its southeast provide irrigation water to the area, while around 39 check dams in and around the city help manage water resources. In April 2012, the governor of Ghazni laid the foundation stone of the Ghazni Airport, with work beginning later that year and supervised by the managing director of the Ghazni province Engineer Ahmad Wali Tawakuli. The city is next to Afghanistan's main highway that runs between Kabul and Kandahar in the south, and other roads from Ghazni lead east to Gardez in neighboring Paktia Province and northwest to Hazarajat. In 2013, ISESCO declared Ghazni the year's Islamic capital of culture, highlighting its continued importance as a cultural center. The United States armed forces built a base in Ghazni after the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, involved in rebuilding projects and protecting the local population against Taliban insurgents. In 2010, the United States established the Lincoln Learning Center in Ghazni, which served as a programming platform offering English language classes, library facilities, programming venues, Internet connectivity, educational and other counseling services, with a goal of reaching at least 4,000 Afghan citizens per month per location. Despite the challenges of conflict and the scars of the past, Ghazni remains a thriving city with a number of factories, bazaars, business centers, banks, historical sites, public parks, hotels, restaurants, mosques, hospitals, universities, and places to play sports or just walk around.