Ghurid (Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad Ghori)

Ghurid Dynasty
Map by Grant
Leader	Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad Ghori
Event	Crossroads of the World
Start Bias	None
Religion	Islam
Geography & Social Data
Capital	Ghazna
Mod Support
Culture	Islamic
Civilopedia
Civilopedia	Here

The Ghurids led by Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad Ghori is a custom civilization by Grant.

This mod requires Brave New World.

Overview

Ghurids

The Ghurid dynasty was a Persianate dynasty and a clan of presumably eastern Iranian Tajik origin, which ruled from the 10th-century to 1215. The Ghurids were centered in the Ghor of present-day central Afghanistan, where they initially started out as local chiefs. They gradually converted to Sunni Islam from Buddhism after the conquest of Ghor by the Ghaznavid Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni in 1011. The dynasty ultimately overthrew the Ghaznavid Empire when Muhammad of Ghor conquered the last Ghaznavid principality of Lahore in 1186 from Khusrau Malik.

At their zenith, the Ghurid empire encompassed Khorasan in the west and reached northern India as far as Bengal in the east. Their first capital was Firozkoh in Mandesh, Ghor, which was later replaced by Herat and finally Ghazni. The Ghurids were patrons of Persian culture and heritage. Abu Ali ibn Muhammad (r. 1011–1035) was the first Muslim king of the Ghurid dynasty to construct mosques and Islamic schools in Ghor.

The Ghurids were succeeded in Khorasan and Persia by the Khwarazmian dynasty, and in northern India former Ghurid generals formed the Mamluk dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.

Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad Ghori

Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad ibn Sam, also known as Muhammad of Ghor, was the Sultan of the Ghurid Empire from 1173 to 1206. He is credited with laying the foundation of Muslim rule in the Indian subcontinent, which lasted for several centuries. He reigned over a territory spanning over parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Northern India, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Mu'izz al-Din along with his brother Ghiyath captured Ghazni and Herat and used them as their base for expeditions in Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. In 1175, Mu'izz crossed the Indus plain through Gomal Pass and captured Multan from its Ismaili Muslim community, and also took Uch (situated between Chenab and Jhelum rivers) by 1176. His forces were routed in the mountainous pass of Gadararaghatta by a coalition of Rajput chiefs, which forced him to change his route for future inroads into India. Hence, Mu'izz pressed upon the Ghaznavids and uprooted them by 1186, conquering Sindh, Peshawar, Lahore and Sialkot. After consolidating his hold in northwest, he penetrated into the north Indian Plain through the Khyber Pass which was under the sway of Rajputs.

In 1191, his forces were defeated by a Rajput Confederacy led by Prithviraj Chauhan near Tarain. However, in 1192, Mu'izz ad-Din returned with a vast army of Turkish mounted archers and defeated the Rajputs on the same battleground and executed Prithviraja shortly afterwards. His victory at Tarain, paved the way for the establishment of Muslim rule in Indian subcontinent. He limited his presence in India afterwards to concentrate on his expansion in the west and left his conquests in India under his slave generals who expanded the influence of the Ghurids till Bengal in the east.

After the death of Ghiyath in 1203, Mu'izz al-Din ascended to the throne as the sole ruler of vast Ghurid empire. Within a year or so in conflict with the Khwarazmian Empire, Mu'izz suffered a sharp reverse near the Oxus river in the Battle of Andhkhud which halted his expansion in Central Asia and resulted in the loss of Merv and most of the Khorasan. Mu'izz raised a vast army and built a bridge across the Oxus to launch a full-scale invasion of Transoxiana to avenge his defeat, although a rebellion in his empire in Punjab forced him to move towards India once more around 1205-1206.

On his way back, Mu'izz was assassinated near the Indus on March 15, 1206, by a group of assassins from the rival Muslim sect while offering evening prayer. After his death, his empire collapsed during the rise of Khawarazmian empire who reached up to the Indus but was eventually swept away by the Mongols under Genghis Khan. Mu'izz's conquests in Indian subcontinent continue to thrive under the Delhi Sultanate which withstood the turmoil in Central Asia caused by the Mongol hordes.

Dawn of Man

Glory to the great Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad Ghori, for you, along with your noble brother Ghiyath al-Din, broke from the slavery of Ghaznavid rule and forged an empire from Gorgan to Bengal. Never had Islam pierced so far into the Indian subcontinent; never had an Islamic empire, headed by a former slave, surrounded on all sides by treacherous rivals and savage nomads, achieved so much in such a short time. Truly, it was the greatest empire since the days of the first Caliphs. But, like all on this earth, it was not to last. The Delhi Sultanate preserved Islam in India, but by the days of Timur, Ghurid hegemony went little beyond the Afghan countryside. Yet you should not be remembered just for your military success. You were pious, noble, and beyond earthly compare.

Leaderscreen by Grant

Great Sultan, with the east splintered once more into petty states, the time is ripe for an all-conquering, all-embracing, all-powerful empire stretching from sea to sea, under the banner of Islam. Many look to you as the bearer of that banner, but you must first prove yourself. Can you restore the glory of the Ghurids? Can you build a civilization that will stand the test of time?

Introduction: "A messenger, then! This isn't the best time to be passing each other letters, I'm afraid. My enemies won't slaughter themselves."

Defeat: "The Ghurids fade back into submission. Though we may be now just another desert tribe subject to your authority, we have a knack for keeping empires dependent on us. So watch your step."

Unique Attributes

The Ghurids (Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad Ghori)
Art by Grant The World Burner Defeating units, capturing Capitals and City-States increases Religious Pressure across conquered cities. Gain Great General Points from Courthouses and Belief Buildings during a Golden Age.
Art by Grant Šansabānī Bowman (Knight) +4 Movement. +20% ranged combat strength against City-State units. Gains additional movement on conquered tiles successively further from the Capital. While garrisoned, new Followers heal the unit's strength.
Art by Grant Turquoise Minaret (Temple) Increased Production cost (300 vs 120). +4 , increased per Belief Building purchased in conquered cities. Begins a Golden Age if constructed upon the birth or death of a Great Person.

City List Ghazna Herat Kabul Peshawar Zaranj Lahore Sialkot Multan Kapisi Kandahar Delhi Mathura Agra Panipat Bost Kannauj Gwalior Jaunpur Meerut Bathinda Bihar Kol Tarain Nagaur Uch Thatta Panjgur Fahrej Bam Jiroft Birjand Budhaun Ayodhya Lucknow Hajjpur

Spy List Sūrī Qutb Muizz Nasir Ghiyath Fakhr Shuja Abu'l Abbas Minhaj Isfaraini

Strategy

Mod Support

Mod Support
Additional Achievements	Unknown
Civ IV Traits	No
Cultural Diversity	Yes
Enlightenment Era	Unknown
Ethnic Units/R.E.D.	Yes
Events and Decisions	No
Historical Religions	Yes
Map Labels	Yes
Rise to Power	Yes
Unique Cultural Influence	No
YnAEMP	Yes

Full Credits List

Steam Workshop
Latest Version:	v 1
Last Updated:	28 June 2022

• Grant: Code, Research, Art, Text, Design, Mod Support
• TopHatPaladin: Lua utilities
• JFD: Lua utilities
• Chrisy15: Lua utilities
• DuskJockey: Lua utilities
• Danrell: Unit model
• Izmoil Nazriev: Music