Turk Shahis

Quick Facts: Who was Turk Shahis?

Subject:

Turk Shahis

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Dynasty ruling from Kabul to Gandhara in the 7th to 9th centuries CE.

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Origins & Early Life

The Turk Shahis were a dynasty of Western Turk, or mixed Turco-Hephthalite origin, that ruled from Kabul and Kapisa to Gandhara in the 7th to 9th centuries CE. They may have been of Khalaj ethnicity. The Gandhara territory may have been bordering the Kashmir kingdom to the east. From the 560s, the Western Turks had gradually expanded southeasterward from Transoxiana, and occupied Bactria and the Hindu Kush region, forming largely independent polities. The Turk Shahis may have been a political extension of the neighbouring Western Turk Yabghus of Tokharistan.

Career & Major Achievements

In the Hindu Kush region, they replaced the Nezak Huns – the last dynasty of Bactrian rulers with origins among the Xwn (Xionite) and/or Huna peoples (who are sometimes also referred to as "Huns" who invaded Eastern Europe during a similar period). The Turk Shahis arose at a time when the Sasanian Empire had already been conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate. The Turk Shahis then resisted for more than 250 years the eastward expansion of the Abbasid Caliphate, until they fell to the Persian Saffarids in the 9th century CE. The Ghaznavids then finally broke through into India after overpowering the declining succeeding Hindu Shahis and Gurjaras. Kabulistan was the heartland of the Turk Shahi domain, which at times included Zabulistan and Gandhara.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The Turks under the Western Turk ruler Tong Yabghu Qaghan crossed the Hindu Kush and occupied Gandhara as far as the Indus River from circa 625 CE. Overall, the territory of the Turk Shahi extended from Kapisi to Gandhara, with a Turkic branch becoming independent in Zabulistan at one point. The Gandhara territory may have been bordering the Kashmir kingdom and the Kanauj kingdom to the east. The Turk Shahi capital of Gandhara, which possibly functioned as a winter capital alternating with the summer capital of Kabul, was Udabhandapura. The Korean pilgrim Hui Chao, visiting the area in 723–729 CE, mentioned that these regions were ruled by Turk kings.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Turk Shahis

True or False: “The Turk Shahis were directly established by conquering the Sasanian Empire from the Rashidun Caliphate.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The Turk Shahis arose after the Sasanian Empire had already been conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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