Battle of Dandanaqan

Battle of Dandanaqan
Part of the Seljuk-Ghaznavid Wars
A Ghaznavi-Seljuk fight in Dandanaqan
Date May 23, 1040 Location Dandanaqan Result Seljuk victory
Combatants
Ghaznavid Empire	Seljuq Oghuz Turcomans
Commanders
Mas'ud I	Chaghri Tughrul
Strength
50.000 men 60 war elephants	20.000 men
Casualties
Unknown but were likely very heavy	Unknown

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

Preparations

When the Seljuq leader Tughrul and his brother Chaghri began creating a strong army, they began to threaten the Ghaznavid territories. After Seljuq raiders started looting Ghaznavid border cities, the Ghaznavid Sultan Mas'ud I (son of Mahmud of Ghazni) resolved to force the Seljuqs to leave his territories.

The battle

During the march of Sultan Mas'ud's army to Sarakhs the Seljuq raiders wore out the Ghaznavid battalions with hit-and-run tactics. Seljuq raiders also harmed the supply lines of Ghaznavids, cutting them off from the nearby water wells. 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 Sarakhs.

Aftermath

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

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