Begtoghdi

Begtoghdi (; meaning “a prince has been born, has arisen”), also known by the Persianized form as Baktoghdi (), was a Turkic slave commander who served under the early Ghaznavid rulers, but later fell out of favor and was executed.

== Biography == Begtoghdi is first mentioned as a minor officer during the reign of Sultan Mahmud, but during the reign of the latter's son Mas'ud I, he rose to high offices; he was in 1035 appointed as the commander-in-chief of Khorasan, thus succeeding his comrade Ali Daya. Meanwhile, the Seljuq Turks under the leadership of Tughril, asked Mas'ud for asylum. Mas'ud, however, considered the nomadic Turks a dangerous threat and sent an army under Begtoghdi, who fought them near Nasa, but was defeated. However, another Ghaznavid officer named Sahib Husain Mikali, continued to fight, but was also defeated and was captured by Tughril's brother Chaghri Beg. Mas'ud was then forced to cede Nasa, Farava and Dihistan to the Seljuq in return for their recognition of Ghaznavid authority.