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Coin of Mu'izzuddin Muhammad Bin Sam , circa 1173 AD - 1206 AD , Issued from Delhi following coin typology of Prithviraja.
Obv: Rider bearing lance on caparisoned horse facing right.Devnagari Legends : Sri /hamirah'. Rev: Simple rendition of recumbent bull with long snout facing left, Devnagari Legends : ' Sri Mahamada Same ' in arc .

Muhammad Shahab ud-Din Ghori (Persian,Urdu: محمد شہاب الدین غوری), also spelled Mohammad Ghauri, originally named Mu'izzuddin Muhammad Bin Sam but famously known as Muhammad of Ghor, b.1162 - d.1206, was an Afghan ruler under the Ghorid dynasty. He was also the governor of Ghazni (province in modern Afghanistan) from 1173 to 1206. His ethnic background was most likely of Persian-speaking Eastern-Iranian Tajik stock.

Muhammad of Ghor was the brother of the Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Muhammad of Ghor (province in modern Afghanistan). Ghor lay on the western boundary of the Ghaznavid. Before 1160, the Ghaznavid Empire covered an area running from central Afghanistan to the Punjab, with capitals at Ghazni and Lahore.

In 1160, the Ghorids conquered Ghazni from the Ghaznavids, and in 1173 Muhammad Shahab ud-Din Ghori became governor of the province. In 1186-7 he conquered Lahore, ending the Ghaznavid Empire and bringing the last of Ghaznavid territory under his control. Muhammad Shahab ud-Din Ghori was a loyal brother. He refrained from declaring his independence in South Asia, knowing that it would result in civil war between the two brothers. Till the death of Ghiyas-ud-din Muhammad in 1202, Ghori never considered himself anything but a general in his brother's army. After every victory he would send the best of the looted items to his elder brother in Firuz Koh. Ghiyas-ud-din reciprocated by never interfering in the affairs of his younger brother. Thus they were each able to concentrate on their own responsibilities. As a result, Ghori managed to push permanent Muslim rule much further east than Mahmud Ghaznavi did.

Muhammad attacked the north-western regions of the Indian subcontinent many times. The first time he was defeated in the First Battle of Tarain in present-day Haryana,India by Prithviraj Chauhan. Though Ghori's main aim was the expansion of his empire, he also took an interest in the patronization of education and learning. Illustrious Muslim philosopher Fakh-ud-din Razi and the well know poet Nizami Aruzi were few of the big names of his era.

In 1206, Ghori had to travel to Lahore to crush a revolt. On his way back to Ghazni, his caravan halted at Damik near Jehlum. He was killed while offering his evening prayers. Many think that the murderer was an Ismaili. However, some historians believe that the murderer belonged to the warrior Ghakkar tribe that resided in the area. He was buried where he fell and his tomb has recently been renovated. In Ghori province, there also exists a grave site of Ghori and as well as his arch rival Prithiviraj in the same vicinity.

In some popular Hindu folklore woven around the bravery of Prithviraj, it is said that Ghori did not kill Prithviraj but rather blinded him. Subsequently, Prithviraj discharged a Shabdbhedi (an arrow which travels in a path created by sound waves) arrow, on being challenged by Ghori to do so. The arrow hit Ghori and subsequently he was killed. Yet there is no historical evidence to substantiate it. Muhammad Ghori is remembered as an empire builder and is justly called the founder of the Muslim Empire in Indo-Pakistan.

After defeating Prithviraj Chauhan in the the Second battle of Tarain in 1192 CE, Rajput kingdoms like Saraswati, Samana, Kohram and Hansi were captured without any difficulty. Then Ghori proceeded to Ajmer. Nobody challenged him. After reaching Ajmer, he handed over the kingdom to Prithviraj’s son, Kola, who took the oath of loyalty. Muhammad Ghori had no heirs and thus he treated his slaves as his sons. It is said that he trained thousands of Turkish slaves in the art of warfare and administration. Most of his slaves were given excellent education. During his reign many hardworking and intelligent slaves rose to positions of excellence. Once a courtier lamented; that Sultan has no male heirs. Ghori immediately replied;

Ghori's prediction proved true when he was succeeded by a dynasty of Turkish Slaves. Upon his death, Qutb-ud-din Aybak, Muhammad Ghori's most capable general who had started of by sacking Ayodhya in 1193 A.D., took control of Muhammad's Indian conquests and declared himself the first Sultan of Delhi thus establishing Sultanate of Delhi in 1206 CE.

• Ghurids
• History of Iran
• History of Afghanistan

• John Keay (May 2001). India: A history. Grove Press; 1 Grove Pr edition. ISBN 0-8021-3797-0. 

• Elliot, Sir H. M., Edited by Dowson, John. The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period; published by London Trubner Company 1867–1877. (Online Copy: The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period; by Sir H. M. Elliot; Edited by John Dowson; London Trubner Company 1867–1877 - This online Copy has been posted by: The Packard Humanities Institute; Persian Texts in Translation; Also find other historical books: Author List and Title List)