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Sultan Shahabuddin of Ghor. Photo by Maulvi Abdurab Ahadi on

Top 10 Unknown Facts about Muhammad of Ghor

Muhammad was born in 1149 in the Ghur region of present-day Afghanistan. He was a ruler of the Ghurid dynasty. He ruled from 1173 to 1206.

Muhammad of Ghor layed the foundation of Muslim rule in the Indian subcontinent. The rule of Muslims lasted for several centuries.

Muhammad fought the first battle of Tarain in 1191 against Raja Prithviraj Chauhan; the most powerful raja of India. In the second battle of Tarain, in 1192 Ghor defeated raja Prithviraj and the victory paved the way for Ghor to push Muslim rule further in India.

Ghor’s first invasions were on the Muslim states of Multan and the fortress of Ouch. In 1181, he attacked Lahore and successfully ended the Ghaznavids Empire. He brought the remaining territory under his control.

He ruled over a large part of the subcontinent, which is now part of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, north India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and southern Kazakhstan.

Let鈥檚 learn about the Top 10 Unknown Facts about Muhammad of Ghor:

1. He was Imprisoned Together with his Brother in the Castle of Gharjistan

Muhammad of Ghor and his brother, Ghiyath al-Din, spent their early years in constant hardship. They were initially installed as governors of Sanjah by their uncle, Ala al-Din Husayn.

However, their efficient administration of the province, made him doubtful of their uprise. This made him see a possible challenge to his authority. He ordered his nephews to be imprisoned in the castle of Gharjistan.

Muhammad of Ghor and his brother were released from captivity by their cousin, Sayf al-Din Muhammad. This was after the death of their uncle in 1161. Sayf al-Din later died in a battle against the nomadic Ghuzzs of Balkh.

2. He Helped His Brother to Succeed to the Throne

After their release from captivity, Muhammad of Ghor took shelter in the court of his uncle Fakhruddin Masud. Fakhruddib held the principality of Bamiyan as a vassal of Alauddin Husayn.

Later, Fakhr al-Din Masud laid his claim for succession after Sayf al-Din’s death. Since he was the elder member of the Ghurid family.

Muhammad of Ghor helped his brother in suppressing the revolt of Fakhruddin. His uncle had garnered a sizeable army in alliance with the chiefs of Balkh and Herat. However, the chiefs were executed in the battle. Fakhruddin was reinstated in Bamiyan in 1163.

His brother Succeeded Sayf al-Din to the throne in 1163. This was with the support of the remaining local Ghurid Officers

 3. He was Appointed as a Minor officer in His Court

After his brother Succeeded on the throne, he placed Muhammad of Ghor as a minor officer in his court. However, Muhammad retired since he was unhappy with the position. He went to the Court of Sistan where he spent a whole season.

However, later Ghiyath-al-din sent an envoy to bring him back who subsequently placed him in charge of the southern part of the Ghurid domains which possibly included Istiyan and Kajuran

4. He Subdued the Ghuzz Tribes

Muhammad was instructed to subdue the Ghuzz tribes during his early campaigns as the prince. He used Qandahar as a base and raided the principality of Ghuxx multiple times.

He defeated them along with his brother. They conquered Ghazna in 1169 along with some other territories in eastern Afghanistan. In 1174, Muhammad lead an expedition against the Ghuzzs of Sanquran in Turkmenistan and subdued them.

5. He attacked the north-western regions of the Indian Subcontinent Several times

The first time he was defeated was in the First Battle of Tarain in present-day Haryana, India by Prithviraj Chauhan. But he defeated Prithviraj Chauhan in the Second battle of Tarain in 1192 C.E.

Rajput kingdoms like Saraswati, Samana, Kohram and Hansi were captured without any difficulty. Then Ghor proceeded to Ajmer. Nobody challenged him.

After reaching Ajmer, he spared the son of Prithviraj Chauhan, Kola, who in turn took the oath of loyalty to Ghori. One of his generals conquered Bihar in 1199 and Lower Bengal in 1203.

Muhammad made a solid effort to rule the territory he had conquered. This was by appointing deputies to collect taxes and administer the rule of law. He distributed land equally among his senior officers and set up consultative councils, where local representatives met with his administrators.

6. He was Credited with being the True Founder of Muslim Rule in India

 Muhammad was the true founder of the Muslim Empire in India. This was after Muslim invaders Muhammad bin Qasim and Mahmud of Ghazni failed to establish rule in India.

After a series of invasions, Muhammad of Ghor was successful in establishing a secure and powerful Muslim kingdom in India. He was well established as the true founder of Muslim rule in India.

7. Muhammad Raised His Slaves with Affection and Treated them as His Sons

Muhammad of Ghor used to purchase several soaves during his reign. The slaves later became renowned for their calibre.

Muhammad purchased a young Qabacha who was sold into slavery. Young Qabacha was later bestowed with the domains of Kerman and Sanjar.

Muhammad of Ghor鈥檚 slaves played a key role in the expansion and consolidation of the Ghurid conquests. This was in the Ganga-Jamuna doab when he was engaged in the affairs of Khurasan.

The slaves raised their authority in North India. However, they still regard Ghor as their supreme master until his assassination.

8. He Minted his Name jointly with his Brother鈥檚 in his Coinage

Coin of Mohd Ghori. Photo by Unknown author on

Ghor Minted hid mane jointly with the name of his brother in his Coinage during his reign. Coins with his name written in the Arabic and Persian script were circulated. The coins were circulated from Khurasan, Afghanistan and Central Asia.

 However, the circulation of coins from Northern India during his reign was considerably different to those issued in Central Asia. He continued the circulation of coins on the same model as his adversaries in northwestern India whom he defeated.

In Delhi, his circulation continued with the existing pattern of the coins. The coins had the image of Nandi Bull and a 鈥淐hahaman horsemen鈥� along with his name written as 鈥淪hri Hammirah鈥�.

The gold mint issued by him in North India had the image of the Hindu deity Lakshmi on one side. Ghor鈥檚 name in the N膩gar墨 script on the other side is written in Sanskrit.

9. He Persecuted the Ismailis Sect of Islam

Muhammad of Ghor was a follower of Sunni Islam belonging to the 岣�anaf墨 school. It was influential in the cultural milieu of the Ghurids during the later twelfth century.

However, he was intolerant toward the Ism膩士墨l墨ya sect of Islam. Ismailis were condemned as heretical by the orthodox clergy.

Hence, he persecuted them during his reign. Muhammad of Ghor along with his brother ordered a massacre of all the Ismailis across the Ghurid empire.

10. He was Assassinated while Offering his Evening Prayers

In 1206, Muhammad of Ghor had to travel to Lahore to crush a revolt. On his way back to Ghazni, his caravan rested at Damik in the Jhelum district of Punjab province in modern-day Pakistan.

He was assassinated while offering his evening prayers by a small band of Hindu Khokars. The murderer killed him so brutally that there were 22 wounds on his body. As per his wishes, Muhammad of Ghor was buried where he fell.