Background
The origin of the Muhtajids is unknown. The name has been given by modern historians after their presumed forebear Muhtaj (Arabic: محتاج Muḥtāj). They may have been descended from the Chaghan Khudahs, who ruled Chaghaniyan during the early Middle Ages.
Another possibility is that their ancestors were Arabs who migrated to the region and were Iranicized. In any case, by the early 10th century Chaghaniyan had become a vassal to the Samanids of Bukhara.