The iqṭāʿ system in the Ghaznavid period (351-582 AH)

The iqṭāʿ in various forms was a method for land management, especially for centuries in the history of Iran. It was not very popular during the Ghaznavid period due to their dependence on the plunder. The iqṭāʿ rule was that when the government could not pay the troops in cash, it would cede the land to them. Why the iqṭāʿ was not applied even when they had problem in paying the troops during the late Ghaznavid period? This research seeks to answer this question and also to explain the system of iqṭāʿ in the early Ghaznavid period through descriptive and qualitative analysis. The findings show that the early Ghaznavids profited from the iqṭāʿ system, but Sabuktigin's reform in land management prevented the iqṭāʿ system. The later Ghaznavid sultans replaced it by paying the troops from peasants' properties.