Author: Махмарайимов, Гайрат Дилшод угли

Annotation: This article examines the main features of the military-political strategy of the Ghaznavid state in the 10th–11th centuries. The study focuses on the structure of the army, principles of military organization, strategic methods of warfare, and political-ideological mechanisms employed by the rulers of the Ghaznavid Empire. Special attention is paid to the role of Turkic military traditions, the centralized command system, cavalry mobility, and the expeditionary nature of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni’s Indian campaigns. The article also analyzes the use of psychological warfare, religious legitimization, and pragmatic political approaches in the expansion of the state. In addition, the strengths and weaknesses of the Ghaznavid military-political model, its adaptability to different geographical conditions, and the reasons for the gradual weakening of the state are discussed. The author concludes that the Ghaznavids created one of the most effective models of early medieval Turkic military statehood based on the combination of military power, political pragmatism, and ideological legitimization.

Keywords: Ghaznavids, Mahmud of Ghazni, military strategy, Khorasan, Turkic statehood, Islamic legitimization, India, military organization, cavalry, psychological warfare.

Pages in journal: 258 - 266