Editing Bactria (section)

=== Introduction of Islam ===
{{Main|Muslim conquests of Afghanistan|Umayyad Caliphate|Abbasid Caliphate|Anarchy at Samarra}}
By the mid-7th century AD, [[Islam]] under the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] had come to rule much of the Middle East and western areas of Central Asia.<ref name="ReferenceB">[http://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/history-culture/buddhism-in-mongolia-central-asia/history-of-buddhism-in-afghanistan History of Buddhism in Afghanistan] by Dr. Alexander Berzin, ''Study Buddhism''</ref>

In 663 AD, the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] attacked the Buddhist [[Turk Shahi|Shahi]] dynasty ruling in Tokharistan. The Umayyad forces captured the area around [[Balkh]], including the Buddhist monastery at [[Nava Vihara]], causing the Shahis to retreat to the Kabul Valley.<ref name="ReferenceB" />

In the 8th century AD, a Persian from Balkh known as Saman Khuda left Zoroastrianism for Islam while living under the Umayyads. His children founded the Samanid Empire (875–999 AD). Persian became the official language and had a higher status than Bactrian, because it was the language of Muslim rulers. It eventually replaced the latter as the common language due to the preferential treatment as well as colonization.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.transoxiana.org/0110/kamoliddin_bahram_chobin.html|title=Origin of the Samanids – Kamoliddin – Transoxiana 10|website=www.transoxiana.org|access-date=7 September 2017}}</ref>