kingdom · Central Asia and the Steppe

Nezak Huns

484 CE – 665 CE (approx.) · capital Kapisa

A dynasty of Hunnic origin that ruled Kapisa and Kabul from the late 5th century, known from coins bearing a crown topped by a buffalo head.

Origins

The Nezak rulers emerged south of the Hindu Kush around 484, probably as one of the Hunnic groups that followed the Kidarite Kingdom and Alchon Huns into the region. Their coins, modelled on Sasanian issues, name the ruler as 'Nezak shah' in Pahlavi script.

Rule and society

They ruled from Kapisa, near modern Bagram, and the Kabul valley over a population that was largely Buddhist and Hindu. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang visited Kapisa in 630 and described a prosperous kingdom with many monasteries and a Kshatriya king. Little is known about individual rulers beyond the coins.

Decline and legacy

In the mid-7th century the Nezak faced Arab raids from Sistan and pressure from the Western Turks. Around 665 they were overthrown by the Turk Shahis, a Turkic dynasty that took over Kabul and Kapisa.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

Nezak HunsTurk Shahis 665 CE – 822 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Nezak Huns. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nezak-huns
MLA
“Nezak Huns.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nezak-huns. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Nezak Huns.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nezak-huns.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Nezak Huns’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nezak-huns (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻