Battle of Dandanaqan

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The Battle of Dandanaqan was fought between the army of Seljuk Turks and the Ghaznavid Empire. The battle ended with a Seljuk victory and brought down the Ghaznavid domination in the Khorasan.

Preparations

When the Seljuk Begh Tughrul and his brother Chaghri grew a strong army, they started to threaten the Ghaznavid teritories and their raiders looted some Ghaznavid cities. Thereupon, the Ghaznavid Sultan Mas'ud I (son of Mahmud of Ghazni) decided to force the Seljuks to leave his territories.

The battle

During the march of Sultan Mas'ud's army to Serahs the Seljuk raiders worn out the Ghaznavid battalions with hit-and-run tactics. Seljuk raiders also harmed the supply lines of Ghaznavids, cutting off water wells around. The discipline and morale of the Ghaznavid Army dropped seriously. Finally, on May 23, 1040, 20,000 Seljuk soldiers engaged in battle the 50,000 Ghaznavid soldiers in Dandanaqan, between Merv and Serahs.

Aftermath

The three day long battle ended with the victory of the Seljuk Turks, and Mas'ud barely escaped from the battlefield with 100 cavalrymen. The victory marked the ascent of Seljuk Turks as a major power and the decay of the Ghaznavids. Seljuks occupied Khorasan and the Turkish and Persian cities of the area, establishing the empire which would later be named as "Great Seljuk Empire".

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