Islam in Afghanistan

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History

By 642 AD, Arabs had conquered Persia and invaded Afghanistan from the west,  introducing Islam. Afghanistan at the time had local rulers  called the Shahi, which were under the influence of the empire of Tang China, which had extended its influence all the way to Kabul. The Khorasani  Persian-Arabs controlled the western and northern areas until they were conquered by the Ghaznavid empire in 998.
The Arab forces did not conquer all of Afghanistan. The  southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan remained independent, first as part of the Turk Shahi Kingdoms (from 565 to 870 AD), then as part of the Hindu Shahi Kingdom of Gandhara, which lasted until it was conquered by the Muslim Ghaznavid Empire in 1021 AD. Mahmud of Ghazni (998-1030) consolidated the  conquests of his predecessors and turned




Ghazna (Ghazni) into a great cultural center as well as a base for frequent forays  into India. The Ghaznavid dynasty was defeated in 1148 by the Ghurids (Ghor), but Ghaznavid Khans continued to live in Ghazni as the 'Nasher' until the early 20th century, but they  did not regain their once vast power until about 500 years later when the Ghilzai Pashtuns's defeated the Safavid Persians in Kandahar. Various princes and Seljuk rulers attempted to rule parts of the country  until the Shah Muhammad II of the Khwarezmid Empire conquered all of Persia in 1205. By 1219, the empire had fallen to the Mongols.