Mas'ud III of Ghazna

Mas'ūd III of Ghazna (b. 1061 – d. 1115), was a sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire and son of the Ghaznavid sultan, Ibrahim of Ghazna

Life Mas'ūd bin Ibrahim was born in 1061 in Ghazni. Prior to his reign, in 1082-83, Mas'ūd III married Seljuk princess Mahd-i 'Iraq Jauhar Khatun bint Malik Shah.

Reign Mas'ud III's reign spanned 16 years (1099-1115). He primarily ruled over the territories of Afghanistan, Northwest India, and Pakistan. He struck coins in the name of Caliph Al-Mustazhir and continued the Ghaznavid policy of acknowledging the supremacy of the Abbasid Caliphate, with its capital in Baghdad. Friendly relations were maintained with the eastern Seljuks during his reign.

In 1112, Mas'ūd III built the Palace of Sultan Mas'ud III in Ghazni, Afghanistan. Mas'ūd III was also responsible for the construction of one of the two "Towers of Victory", also known as the Minarets of Ghazni.

Following Sultan Mas'ūd III's death in 1115, a four-year period of increased instability ensued due to the internal struggle for succession amongst his sons, Shīr-Zād (r. 1115-1116), Malik Arslan (r. 1116-1117), and Bahrām Shāh (r. 1117-1157) . With the assistance and political backing of the eastern Seljuk sultan Sunjar Bahram, Shāh defeated his brother Arslan and ascended the throne as a Seljuk vassal following the Battle of Ghazni in 1117.

Architecture Minaret of Mas'ud III in Ghazni

Palace of Mas'ud III in Ghazni