The Ghaznavid dynasty is a Muslim dynasty of Turkic slave origin ruling much of Persia, Transoxania, and the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent from 975 to 1186.

The dynasty is founded by Sebuktigin, upon his succession to rule of Ghazna (modern-day Ghazni Province in Afghanistan) after the death of his father-in-law, Alp Tigin, who was a breakaway ex-general of the Samanids from Balkh, north of the Hindu Kush in Khorasan.

Although the dynasty is of Central Asian Turkic origin, it is thoroughly Persianized in terms of language, culture, literature, and habits, and hence is regarded by some as a "Persian dynasty" rather than Turkic.

Sebuktigin's son, Mahmud of Ghazni, expands the Ghaznavid Empire to the Oxus River (Amu Darya), the Indus Valley, and the Indian Ocean in the east, and to Rey and Hamadan (in modern-day Iran) in the west.

Under the reign of Mas'ud I, the Ghaznavid dynasty begins losing control over its western territories to the Seljuqs after the Battle of Dandanaqan, resulting in a restriction of its holdings to modern-day Afghanistan, Western Punjab, and the Balochistan region.

In 1151, Sultan Bahram Shah loses Ghazni to Ala'uddin Hussain of Ghor.