Coin of Barha Tegin, also known as Sri Ranasrikari, founder of the Turk Shahi dyansty. After the Arab conquest of Kabul, Barha Tegin, who was the ruler of Zabulistan, allied with the Nezak Hun ruler of city and launched a counter-offensive pushing out Arabs from the region.
Barha then killed his ally and took the erstwhile Kingdom of Kapisa, and shifted his capital to Kabul. You can observe his "tamgha" of the coin. Turk Shahis are said to be either a mixed Turko-Hepthalite people or descended from the Western Gokturk Khaganate.
The Turk Shahi rulers patronized both Buddhism and Hinduism, resulting in a period of flourishing art and architecture. The Gardez Ganesha is believed to be constructed during the Turkic rule in Afghanistan.
Seated Bodhisattva, around 700, the last stages of the Greco-Indic Gandhara art can be seen in this statue.
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