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 EISE OF THE TURKS 17 the caliphs; Turkish officers gradually acquired the control of provinces; and throughout the Mohammedan empire, from Egypt to Samarkand, the Turks became the dominant race. Their success attracted others of their kind, and soon they invited their brethren to come and share their prosperity. Turks overflowed THE FORTRESS OF GHAZNI. From the Life of Abdur Rahman, Amir of Afghanistan. into Persia from their native steppes; the Samanid kingdom, after two centuries of power well employed, degenerated into a mad rivalry of Turkish adventurers, and this scramble led to the invasion of India. Among the Turkish condottieri who rose to high office in Northern Persia was one Alptagin, who, falling out with his Samanid lord, established himself with