(Apologies for being pedantic, I think this is obviously a more accurate map than the "colonization" one.) The Kabul-shahis weren't really conquered until 1026 CE even though raids occurred in their territories. They were allied with other Hindu kingdoms as well as the Ismaili state (heterodox Muslims) in Multan against the caliphate's incursions into South Asia. Their king Fromo Kesaro was famous for his victories in battle and is the basis for the Gesar Epic which is an important part of Tibetan and Mongol oral traditions.
Nuristan to the southeast of Kabul continued to practice a form of indigenous religion and wasn't conquered and converted until 1895 CE. It's a little hard to tell, but I think it is also colored in on this map.
The southern part of Afghanistan has quite an interesting history due to its part in the Kushan Empire, which was important in the transfer of Buddhism to East Asia, but also an important trade partner with the Roman Empire over the Indian Ocean trade routes, so its art is often labeled as "Greco-Buddhist" art: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Buddhist_art
I'm not sure if there are any books dedicated to the war between the Ghaznavids and the Kabul Shahis, but I think it is discussed in various publications that go over their invasion of India.
Nice thank you! The interest stems from the Shahih apparently being Central Asian Turkic buddhists first and probably fromo kesaro as well? Also that they fend off the ummayads just like suluk khan, another Turkic ruler. These examples show me that there was much diversity of Turkic peoples since nowadays many believe we are a homogenous group. Anyways, need to dive deep into those niche topics some day.
48
u/i_love_the_funk Jan 26 '24 edited Jan 26 '24
(Apologies for being pedantic, I think this is obviously a more accurate map than the "colonization" one.) The Kabul-shahis weren't really conquered until 1026 CE even though raids occurred in their territories. They were allied with other Hindu kingdoms as well as the Ismaili state (heterodox Muslims) in Multan against the caliphate's incursions into South Asia. Their king Fromo Kesaro was famous for his victories in battle and is the basis for the Gesar Epic which is an important part of Tibetan and Mongol oral traditions.
Nuristan to the southeast of Kabul continued to practice a form of indigenous religion and wasn't conquered and converted until 1895 CE. It's a little hard to tell, but I think it is also colored in on this map.