Zunbils

Zunbils
680–870[1][2]
SIND 800 UYGHUR KHAGANATE GURJARA- PRATIHARAS RASHTRA- KUTAS PALA EMPIRE CHAM- PA NAN- ZHAO TURK SHAHIS TANG DYNASTY SILLA Khitans Jurchens Tungus KARLUK YABGHU Tatars CHENLA DVARA- VATI SRIVIJAYA Kyrgyzs Paleo-Siberians Samoyeds Kimeks Tanguts Shatuos ABBASID CALIPHATE KHAZAR KHAGANATE BYZANTINE EMPIRE OGHUZ- YABGUS TIBETAN EMPIRE ◁ ▷ Approximate location of the Zunbils (), and contemporary polities c. 800
KHUDAHS Bukhara AFSHINS IKHSHIDS Kunduz Samarkand Herat TOKHARA YABGHUS Balkh TURK SHAHIS ZUNBILS Bamiyan Bost Kandahar Ghazni Kabul INDIA Gilgit PATOLA SHAHIS KARKOTA DYNASTY Hund Tang-i Safedak GUZGAN Ghazni, the capital, and other important cities of the Zunbils (brown dots), c. 725
Capital	Ghazni
Common languages	Bactrian
Religion	Hinduism Buddhism Zoroastrianism
Historical era	Early Middle Ages
• Established	680
• Disestablished	870[1][2]
Preceded by Succeeded by Alchon Huns Nezak Huns Tokhara Yabghus Turk Shahis Saffarid dynasty Samanid dynasty Lawik dynasty
Today part of	Afghanistan

Zunbil, also written as Zhunbil, or Rutbils of Zabulistan,^[3] was a royal dynasty south of the Hindu Kush in present southern Afghanistan region. They ruled from circa 680 AD until the Saffarid conquest in 870 AD.^[3][2] The Zunbil dynasty was founded by Rutbil (Turkic: Iltäbär), the elder brother of the Turk Shahi ruler (either Barha Tegin or Tegin Shah), who ruled over Hephthalite kingdom from his capital in Kabul.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8]} The Zunbils are described as having Turkish troops in their service by Arabic sources like Tarikh al-Tabari and Tarikh-i Sistan.^[9]

The faith of this community has not been researched as much. According to the interpretation of Chinese sources by Marquarts and de Groots in 1915, the king of Ts'ao is said to have worn a crown with a golden fish head and was related to the Sogdians. The Temple of the Zun was recognizable by a large fish skeleton on display; this would indicate a related merchantry deity.^[10] In addition to that Marquarts states the Zunbils to have worshipped a solar deity which might have been connected to Aditya (Surya). However, according to Shōshin Kuwayama there was a clear dichotomy between worshipers of the Hindu god Surya and followers of Zhun. This is exemplified by the conflict between Surya and Zhun followers, which lead to the followers of Zhun migrating southwards towards Zabulistan from Kapisa.^[11][1] According to André Wink the god Zhun was primarily Hindu, though parallels have also been noted with pre-Buddhist religious and monarchy practices in Tibet and had Zoroastrian influence in its ritual.^[12][13] Other scholars such as H. Schaeder and N. Sims-William have connected it with the Zoroastrian deity of time.^[14]

Their territory included between what is now the city of Zaranj in southwestern Afghanistan and Kabulistan in the northeast, with Zamindawar and Ghazni serving as their capitals.^[15] In the south their territory reached at times the cities of Rakhwad (al-Rukhkhaj) and Bost (near Kandahar).^[3]

The title Zunbil can be traced back to the Middle-Persian original Zūn-dātbar, 'Zun the Justice-giver'. The geographical name Zamindawar would also reflect this, from Middle Persian 'Zamin-i dātbar' (Land of the Justice-giver).^[16]