Battle of Dandanaqan

May 23, 1040

On a windswept plain in Turkmenistan, twenty thousand thirsty Seljuk horsemen overwhelmed the ponderous Ghaznavid army of Sultan Mas'ud. The rout broke the Ghaznavid empire and confirmed the Seljuks as masters of Iran. Within a decade Tughril Beg would be riding into Baghdad as protector of the caliph. The defeated Mas'ud fled eastward, only to be murdered by his own troops before reaching safety.