ABSTRACT
There exists a discrepancy between the kind of ghazi king represented by Mahmud on the one hand and other ghazis of the ‘Middle Period’ on the other. Whereas Mahmud was depicted simultaneously as a majestic king as well as an outstanding ghazi, other ghazi kings are generally portrayed with far less grandiosity. One need only think of Osman Bey, founder of the Ottoman dynasty, or Babur, remembered mostly as a wandering frontiersman, living much simpler and coarser lives than Mahmud of Ghazna.
