Hephthalite Empire
The area was ruled successively by the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenids]], [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucids]], [[Maurya Empire|Maurya]]s, [[Kushan Empire|Kushans]], and [[Hephthalite Empire|Hephthalites]] before the [[Saffarid dynasty|Saffarids]] Islamized it and made it part of their empire. It was taken over by the [[Samanids]], followed by the [[Ghaznavids]] and [[Ghurid Dynasty|Ghurids]] before falling to the [[Delhi Sultanate]]. In the 13th century, it was invaded by [[Genghis Khan]] and his [[Mongol Empire|Mongol]]s. In the following decades the [[Qarlughids]] emerged to create a local dynasty that offered a few decades of self-rule. Later, the area became part of the [[Timurid dynasty]], the [[Mughal Empire]] and the [[Durrani Empire]].