Ali Mardan Khan ( fa, ; died April 1657) was a

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

military leader and administrator, serving under the

Safavid Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

kings

Shah Abbas I Abbas I ( fa, ; 27 January 157119 January 1629), commonly known as Abbas the Great (), was the 5th Safavid Shah (king) of Iran, and is generally considered one of the greatest rulers of Iranian history and the Safavid dynasty. He was the third so ...

and

Shah Safi Sam Mirza ( fa, سام میرزا) (161112 May 1642), better known by his dynastic name of Shah Safi ( fa, شاه صفی), was the sixth Safavid shah (king) of Iran, ruling from 1629 to 1642. Early life Safi was given the name Sam Mirza when ...

, and later the Mughal ruler

Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...

. He was the son of

Ganj Ali Khan Ganj Ali Khan ( fa, گنج علی خان or گنجعلیخان) was a military officer in Safavid Iran of Kurdish origin, who served as governor in various provinces and was known for his loyal service to king (shah) Abbas I. Ganj Ali Khan cont ...

. After surrendering the city of

Qandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the ca ...

, part of the easternmost territories of the Safavids to the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

in 1638, he served with distinction in the Mughal administration, earning the highest honors of the Mughal court.

Career

Ali Mardan Khan was a

Kurd ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Ir ...

of the Zig tribe, and son of Safavid official

. In 1624, Ali Mardan Khan inherited his father's position when he was appointed governor of

Kerman Kerman ( fa, كرمان, Kermân ; also romanization of Persian, romanized as Kermun and Karmana), known in ancient times as the satrapy of Carmania, is the capital city of Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 821,394, in ...

Sistan Sistān ( fa, سیستان), known in ancient times as Sakastān ( fa, سَكاستان, "the land of the Saka"), is a historical and geographical region in present-day Eastern Iran ( Sistan and Baluchestan Province) and Southern Afghanistan (N ...

, and

by the Safavid emperor Shah Abbas. Like his father, Ali Mardan Khan governed from the city of Qandahar. In 1625, control of Kerman was handed over to Tahmasp Qoli Khan for administrative reasons. In 1632, Ali Mardan Khan began a series of correspondences with the Mughal court, culminating in the official surrender of his territories (including Qandahar) to the Mughal emperor

in March 1638. The likely reason for his actions was fear of assassination by the Safavid ruler

, who had already caused the death or disappearance of several prominent individuals in the Safavid government. The handover of Qandahar's fortress was highlighted in Mughal and Safavid chronicles, being applauded and condemned respectively. Ali Mardan Khan's defection was generously rewarded by Shah Jahan, who sent him several gifts. Shahjahan receives Ali Mardan Khan in durbar

Shahjahan receives Ali Mardan Khan in durbar

Ali Mardan Khan experienced a meteoric rise in Mughal government, becoming a member with important responsibilities and a highly favoured noble of Shah Jahan. By the year 1643, he had become the highest ranked in the Mughal nobility by reaching a rank of 7000 ''zat'' (infantry) and 7000 ''sowar.'' He was also honoured with the title '' Amir al-Umara'' (lord of the lords). Early in his tenure (1638) he was appointed governor of

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

; he was later additionally appointed to the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

, and finally was moved to a strategic position as governor of Kabul, which he held until his death. In 1657, Ali Mardan Khan fell ill and passed away due to a pandemic in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

. He was buried in the tomb of his mother, today the

Tomb of Ali Mardan Khan The Tomb of Ali Mardan Khan (Urdu: ) is a Mughal era tomb in the city of Lahore, Pakistan that was built in the 1630s. Background Ali Mardan Khan was a Kurd who first worked in the court of the Persian Safavid ruler Shah Safi, before moving to t ...

Architecture

Ali Mardan Khan was a notable architectural patron. As a Safavid official, he is known to have constructed the cistern of the Ganj Ali Khan complex in Kerman, and built multiple gardens in Qandahar. The Tomb Of Ali Mardan Khan

His most notable architectural feat as a Mughal official was the creation of a canal that brought water to the suburbs of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

from the

Ravi River The Ravi River () is a transboundary river crossing northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It is one of five rivers associated with the Punjab region. Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, the waters of the Ravi and two other rivers were ...

, which was more than 100 miles away. This enabled the creation of Lahore's Shalimar Bagh. Another significant architectural creation was an Iranian-style covered

bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

, which impressed Shah Jahan and inspired the marketplace of his capital city Shahjahanabad. Ali Mardan Khan built the Chashme Shahi garden in

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

in addition to other gardens at Shahjahanabad and Peshawar. He is also credited with strengthening fortifications at Qandahar and undertaking civic building projects in Kabul. The

tomb of Ali Mardan Khan The Tomb of Ali Mardan Khan (Urdu: ) is a Mughal era tomb in the city of Lahore, Pakistan that was built in the 1630s. Background Ali Mardan Khan was a Kurd who first worked in the court of the Persian Safavid ruler Shah Safi, before moving to t ...

is probably a commission by him.

References

External links

Daily Times: Driving through history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali Mardan Khan Year of birth missing 1657 deaths Mughal nobility Subahdars of Lahore Subahdars of Kashmir 17th-century soldiers Safavid governors of Qandahar Iranian emigrants to the Mughal Empire 17th-century people of Safavid Iran Iranian Kurdish people