Muntakhab al-tawarikh 5.1

5.1

By the consent of the Amirs and Vazirs of Mahmud he ascended the imperial throne, and having come from Hari to Balkh, spent the winter there, and summoning Ahmad ibn Hasan Maimandi whom Sultan Mahmud kept a prisoner in the fort of Kalinjar, made him a Vazir. Then leaving Balkh he came to Ghaznin and thence started for Sipahan and Rai, and arriving at Herat engaged in war with the Turkomans and not overcoming them, but on the contrary suffering defeat at their hands, turned back. The Turkomans increased in power day by day owing to his weakness, till affairs assumed the aspect which they eventually did. In the year 423 H. Ahmad ibn Hasan Maimandi died, and in the year 424 Sultan Mas'ud having undertaken to conquer Hindustan marched towards the fortress of Sarsati which is situated in the way to Kashmir, laid siege to it and reduced it and made his way to Ghaznin with great booty. Then in 425 H. Sultan Mas'ud reduced Amal and Sari and sending legates to Kalinjar and Tabaristan established his authority there and sent Tughdi Beg and Husain ibn 'Ali ibn Maikal with a large army from Nishapur against the Turkomans, and a severe battle ensued in which Husain was taken prisoner and Tughdi Beg fled and returned to the Amir Mas'ud.