Nezak Huns

Nezak Huns
484–711
Royal Bull's-head crown of the Nezak kings Royal Bull's-head crown of the Nezak kings
The Nezak kingdom in Kapisa, 565 CE
Capital		Ghazna, Kapisa
Languages		Pahlavi script (written)
Religion		Buddhism, Zoroastrianism
Government		Nomadic empire
Malka
•	6-7th century CE	Napki Malka
Historical era		Late Antiquity
•	Established	484
•	Disestablished	711
Currency		Hunnic Drachm
Preceded by Succeeded by [[Sassanian Empire]] 20px [[Alchon huns]] [[Sassanian Empire]] [[Turk shahi]] 20px
Today part of		Afghanistan

The Nezak huns were one of the four groups of huna people in the area of the Hindukush. The Nezak kings, with their characteristic gold bull's-head crown, ruled from Ghazni and Kapisa. While their history is obscured, the Nezak's left significant coinage documenting their polity's prosperity.

History

Nezak Coinage

Billon drachm of King Napki Malka (Gandhara, c. 475–576).

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Billon drachm

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Bronze drachm

The Nezak's first appear minting coins in Ghazni, previously controlled by the Sassanian Persians. Their emergence may have been a consequence of the weakening of Persian influence in the region after the defeat of the Persian king Peroz by the Hephthalites, another Hunnic state, in Bactria in 484 CE. From that point, the Nezaks consolidated their power in Zabulistan and in the 6th century expanded into Kabulistan, deposing the Alchon Huns from Kapisa. Nezak coins with the bull's crown appear well into the 8th century. At which time it appears that a confederacy emerges between the Nezaks and the Alchons, possibly against Turkic invaders. Eventually the Nezak huns are replaced by the Turk shahi dynasty.

See also

• Xionites
• Kidarites
• Hephthalites
• Alchon Huns

External links

• http://pro.geo.univie.ac.at/projects/khm/showcases/showcase11?language=en
• http://grifterrec.rasmir.com/huns/huns2.html