Indo-Parthian kingdom

The Indo-Parthian kingdom, also known as Pahlavas or Pahlawas in ancient Sanskrit texts, was a syncretric kingdom founded by Gondophares and was active from 19 CE to c. 226 CE. At its zenith, it ruled an area covering parts of eastern Iran, various parts of Afghanistan and the northwest regions of the Indian subcontinent (most of modern Pakistan and parts of northwestern India). Its rulers may have been members of the House of Suren, and the kingdom has even been called the "Suren Kingdom" by some authors.

The kingdom was founded in 19/20 when the governor of Drangiana (Sakastan) Gondophares declared independence from the Parthian Empire. He would later make expeditions to the east, conquer territory from the Indo-Scythians and Indo-Greeks and thus transforming his kingdom into an empire. The domains of the Indo-Parthians were greatly reduced following the invasions of the Kushans in the second half of the 1st century. They managed to retain control of Sakastan, until its conquest by the Sasanian Empire in c. 224/5. In Baluchistan, the Paratarajas, a local Indo-Parthian dynasty, fell into the orbit of the Sasanian Empire circa 262 CE.