Abu'l Harith Muhammad was Khwarazm Shah for a period in 1017. The son of Abu al-Hasan Ali

Abu al-Hasan Ali

Abu al-Hasan 'Ali was Khwarazm-Shah from 997 until his death. The second member of the Ma'munid dynasty, he was the son of Mamun I....

, he was the last member of the Iranian Ma'munid dynasty to rule Khwarazm.

In 1017 a young Muhammad was declared shah by the murderers of his uncle Abu'l Abbas Mamun

Mamun II

Abu'l-Abbas Ma'mun was Khwarazm-Shah from 1008 or 1009 until his death, having succeeded his brother Abu al-Hasan Ali in that post. He was the son of Mamun I....

. Mahmud of Ghazna, who had been Ma'mun's brother-in-law, was afforded a pretext for invading and a force was assembled in northern Khurasan

Greater Khorasan

Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...

. The Khwarazamis were unable to provide any effective resistance, and Muhammad was captured and imprisoned; Khwarazm therefore became a part of the Ghaznavid Empire. After taking vengeance on the Ma'mun's murderers Mahmud installed a Turk, the hajib

Hajib

The term "hajib" is not to be confused with the word "hijab", which is a headscarf for Muslim women.A hajib was a government official in Al-Andalus and Egypt. They began as treasurers or Chamberlains but by 756, the position had evolved to be equivalent to a vizier or higher....

 Altun Tash

Altun Tash

Altun Tash was Khwarazm-Shah from 1017 until his death.Altun Tash was originally a slave commander serving the Ghaznavid Sebük Tigin. In 1008 he played a leading role in a battle against the Karakhanids at Sharkhiyan near Balkh, in which the Ghaznavids were victorious...

, as governor of the province.

Sources

• Bosworth, C. E. "Al-e Ma'mun." Encyclopædia Iranica. 25 September 2006.