Ghazni is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan

Provinces of Afghanistan

The provinces of Afghanistan are the primary administrative divisions of Afghanistan. As of 2004, there are thirty-four provinces in the country. Each province is further divided into smaller districts....

. Babur

Babur

Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...

 records in his Babur-Nama that Ghazni is also known as Zabulistan

Zabulistan

Zabulistan , also spelled Zabolestan, is a historical region in the border area of today's Iran and Afghanistan.-History of Zabulistan:...

 It is in the east of the country. Its capital is Ghazni City

Ghazni

For the Province of Ghazni see Ghazni ProvinceGhazni is a city in central-east Afghanistan with a population of about 141,000 people...

. The province lies on the important Kabul to Kandahar road

Kabul-Kandahar highway

The Kabul-Kandahar Highway is a road linking Afghanistan's two largest cities, Kabul and Kandahar. This highway is a key portion of Afghanistan's national road system or "Ring Road"...

, and has historically functioned as an important trade center between those two major cities.
Ghazni was a thriving Buddhist center before and during the 7th century AD. Excavations have revealed religious artifacts of both Hindu and Buddhist traditions.
In 644 AD, the Chinese pilgrim Hsüan-tsang visited Jaguda, Ghazni, while travelling from the country of Varnu

Varnu

Varnu was an ancient town located in what is now Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is associated with the modern day city of Bannu. In 602 CE the Chinese pilgrim Hsüan-tsang travelled from Varnu to Jaguda in Ghazni....

, crossing the land of O-po-kien (Afghans i.e.