The Citadel of Ghazni (or Ghuznee, Ghazna) is a large

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

located in

Ghazni Ghazni ( prs, غزنی, ps, غزني), historically known as Ghaznain () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana ( gr, Αλεξάνδρεια Ωπιανή), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan ...

city, east-central

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

. It was built in the 13th century surrounding the Ghazni town to form a walled city. The 45 metre (147 foot) high

citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In ...

dominates the skyline. The citadel is at risk of destruction due to multiple threats. Already more than half of the citadel's 32 original towers have been destroyed or heavily damaged with the collapse of one tower being caught on video in June, 2019 and being shared widely on social media. The citadel is located in the center of the city and nearby major roads. A lack funds to aid in the site's preservation, heavy rains, and the country's ongoing civil war have further contributed to the citadel's collapse.

History

In 962, the Turkic slave commander of the

Samanid Empire The Samanid Empire ( fa, سامانیان, Sāmāniyān) also known as the Samanian Empire, Samanid dynasty, Samanid amirate, or simply as the Samanids) was a Persianate Sunni Muslim empire, of Iranian dehqan origin. The empire was centred in ...

Alp-Tegin , image = Pınarbaşı 5.JPG , caption = Bust of Alp Tegin as one of the founders of the " 16 Great Turkic Empires", part of the "Turkishness Monument" (''Türklük Anıtı'') in Pınarbaşı, Kayseri (opened 2000, 2012 ph ...

, attacked Ghazni and besieged the citadel for four months. He wrested Ghazni from the

Lawik The Lawīk dynasty or (Pashto: د لویکانو شاهي کورنۍ) Lōyak dynasty was based in Ghazni and Gardez, present-day Afghanistan. The Lawik were closely related to the Turk Shahi dynasty. The ''Siyasatnama'' of Nizam al-Mulk, the ''T ...

ruler, Abu Bakr Lawik. Alp-Tegin was accompanied by

Sabuktigin Abu Mansur Nasir al-Din Sabuktigin ( fa, ابو منصور سبکتگین) ( 942 – August 997), also spelled as Sabuktagin, Sabuktakin, Sebüktegin and Sebük Tigin, was the founder of the Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 367 A.H/977 A.D to 3 ...

during this conquest. In 1839, the citadel was the site of the

battle of Ghazni The Battle of Ghazni (or Ghuznee) took place in the city of Ghazni in central Afghanistan on Tuesday, July 23, 1839, during the First Anglo-Afghan War. Prelude In the 1830s, the British were firmly entrenched in India but by 1837, feared a Rus ...

during the

first Anglo-Afghan war The First Anglo-Afghan War ( fa, جنگ اول افغان و انگلیس) was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession di ...

when the British troops stormed and captured the citadel. It saw further violence during later decades of wars. On 14 June 2019, a tower collapsed due to heavy rain and possible government negligence.

Threats

The old citadel of Ghazni is in a deteriorating condition. Many of the towers and walls of the fortress are crumbling. Decades of war and continued political instability in Afghanistan have contributed to the deterioration of the fortress. War and lack of funds have hampered restoration efforts. In June, 2019 one of the fort's 32 original towers collapsed and was caught on video and posted to social media sparking international calls for the Afghan government and international community to do more to preserve the country's cultural heritage.

Gallery

File:Britattack.jpg, British-Indian troops attacking the citadel during the First Afghan War, 1839. File:Atkinson1839.jpg, Painting by James Atkinson with Ghazni fort in the background of the

Ghazni Minarets Ghazni Minarets are two elaborately decorated minaret towers located in Ghazni city, central Afghanistan. They were built in middle of the twelfth century and are the only surviving elements of the mosque of Bahram Shah.C.E. Bosworth, ''The Later ...

, 1839. File:CH-NB - Afghanistan, Ghazni (Ghazna)- Menschen - Annemarie Schwarzenbach - SLA-Schwarzenbach-A-5-21-155.jpg, Citadel of Ghazni in 1939 File:CH-NB - Afghanistan, Ghazni (Ghazna)- Menschen - Annemarie Schwarzenbach - SLA-Schwarzenbach-A-5-21-173.jpg, Wall of Ghazni Citadel, 1939–1940. File:CH-NB - Afghanistan, Ghazni (Ghazna)- Stadtansicht - Annemarie Schwarzenbach - SLA-Schwarzenbach-A-5-21-174.jpg, Round towers in the wall, 1939–1940. File:Citadel of Ghazni, seen from Tapa Sardar.jpg, Citadel of Ghazni, seen from the Buddhist monastery of

Tapa Sardar Tepe Sardar, also Tapa Sardar or Tepe-e-Sardar, is an ancient Buddhist monastery in Afghanistan. It is located near Ghazni, and it dominates the Dasht-i Manara plain. The site displays two major artistic phases, an Hellenistic phase during the 3rd ...

File:Citadel_of_Ghazni_2011.jpg, Aerial view of the citadel in 2011.

References

Ghazni Province Populated places in Ghazni Province Forts in Afghanistan World Heritage Sites in Danger {{Afghanistan-struct-stub Buildings and structures in Ghazni Province

History

Threats

Gallery

See also

References