PANGUL AND BANJI; ZHULAD AND FULAD: A NOTE ON THE GENEALOGY OF THE SHANASBIDS AMIRS OF GHUR Khodadad Rezakhani 1 Princeton, NJ, USA Introduction S ifing through the history of early Islamic East Iran, specifically present-day Afghanistan is a daunting task, owing to problems ranging from paucity of sources to lack of physical access to the needed geographical and archaeological contexts. Nonetheless, the history of the period between the rise of Islam in the middle of the seventh century CE to the establishment of Samanid (819-999 CE) and Ghaznavid rule (977-997 CE) in the region in the 10 th and 11 th centuries is of utmost importance. This region was the source of much political, military, and cultural activity directed at the Iranian plateau and northern India. This is whence the Ghaznavids and their successors mounted their conquests of India. Indeed, recurring invasions of India originating from Afghanistan becomes a mainstay in the history of that region and continued well into the 19 th century. The most significant example of such conquests was Babur’s campaigns, resulting in the foundation of the Timurid Mughal Empire in the 16 th century. Among the various invaders, the Shanasbani/Shanasbid Ghurid Empire (ca. 1150- 1215 CE) is the most neglected. This neglect is perhaps atributable to their short-lived empire, despite their significant legacy as patrons of Persian-language historical and literary works. Stemming from local rulers of Ghur, which encompassed the central 1 It is my distinct pleasure and privilege to be able to contribute to this Festschrif in honor of Michael Bates, a doyen of Islamic numismatics and a tireless researcher who is a constant source of inspiration. I hope this small contribution brings out some issues of interest to him and provides for a good discussion over dinner in Manhatan.