Ali Mardan Khan
Encyclopedia
Ali Mardan Khan was a Kurdish
noble at the court of Safavid King Shah Tahmasp but after surrendering the Afghan city of Qandahar to Emperor Shah Jahan
in 1638, he was a well recognised figure at the Mughal
court.
and the commander of Ghazni
. In 1638, he surrendered Qandahar to the Mughals, and took refuge in Delhi. He was honoured at the Mughal court. Shah Jahan gifted one lakh
of tankas for himself and two lakh
s for his brother and the officers of his army. He was appointed governor of Kashmir
, Kabul
and Lahore
.
He later received the title of Amir al Umara (Lord of Lords) in 1639 and made him a Haft Hazari, leading to commanding an army of 7,000 troops.
He was later appointed as the viceroy of Punjab
which at that time stretched from Kabul to Delhi
.
Ali Mardan Khan’s tomb is located on Mughalpura Road in Lahore, Pakistan
.
A garden named after him "Bagh i Ali Mardan Khan" still survives in Srinagar Kashmir.
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
noble at the court of Safavid King Shah Tahmasp but after surrendering the Afghan city of Qandahar to Emperor Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
in 1638, he was a well recognised figure at the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
court.
Life
Ali Mardan Khan was the Safavid governor of Qandahar. He had been in arrears with his revenues. He was summoned by Shah Tahmasp to appear at the court, but avoided doing so. On being dismissed from office, he sought the assistance from the governor of KabulKabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
and the commander of Ghazni
Ghazni
For the Province of Ghazni see Ghazni ProvinceGhazni is a city in central-east Afghanistan with a population of about 141,000 people...
. In 1638, he surrendered Qandahar to the Mughals, and took refuge in Delhi. He was honoured at the Mughal court. Shah Jahan gifted one lakh
Lakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
of tankas for himself and two lakh
Lakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
s for his brother and the officers of his army. He was appointed governor of Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
and Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
.
He later received the title of Amir al Umara (Lord of Lords) in 1639 and made him a Haft Hazari, leading to commanding an army of 7,000 troops.
He was later appointed as the viceroy of Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
which at that time stretched from Kabul to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
.
Ali Mardan Khan’s tomb is located on Mughalpura Road in Lahore, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
A garden named after him "Bagh i Ali Mardan Khan" still survives in Srinagar Kashmir.