Ghurid Dynasty

State · 1152–1209 CE · at its largest around 1202 CE

Dynasty from the mountains of Ghor in Afghanistan that overthrew the Ghaznavids; Muhammad of Ghor's conquests in northern India laid the foundations of the Delhi Sultanate.

On its lands while it lasted

Pala Empire (c. 750–1161 CE): Buddhist dynasty of Bengal and Bihar founded by Gopala around 750, patrons of the monastic universities of Nalanda and Vikramashila.
Moinuddin Chishti (c. 1143 CE – 1236 CE): Sufi saint who established the Chishti order in India; his shrine at Ajmer is a major pilgrimage site.
Prithviraj Chauhan (c. 1166 CE – 1192 CE): Chahamana king of Ajmer and Delhi who defeated the Ghurids in 1191 but was defeated and killed after the second battle of Tarain.
Minaret of Jam (c. 1190 CE): Brick minaret about 65 m tall built by the Ghurid dynasty in a remote valley of western Afghanistan.
Second Battle of Tarain (1192 CE): Muhammad of Ghor defeated Prithviraj Chauhan, opening northern India to Ghurid rule and paving the way for the Delhi Sultanate.
Qutb Minar (c. 1199 CE): Victory tower in Delhi, about 73 m tall, begun by Qutb ud-Din Aibak and completed by Iltutmish.
Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526 CE): Series of Muslim dynasties ruling from Delhi, beginning with Qutb ud-Din Aibak in 1206 and ending with the Lodi defeat at Panipat in 1526.