Mirzā Isfandiyār Khān Bēg (, ), was the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

faujdar Faujdar under the Mughals was an office that combined the functions of a military commander along with judicial and land revenue functions. The term faujdar contained pre-Mughal origins. During those times, the term referred to a military offic ...

of Sylhet Sarkar from 1663 to 1665.

Early life

Isfandiyar's father was Mirza Allah Yar Khan (also spelt Ilahyar, Allahyar or Ilah Yar) and his grandfather was Iftikhar Khan Turkmen (also known as Iftiyar), both of whom took part in

Islam Khan I Shaikh Alauddin Chisti (1570–1613; popularly known as Islam Khan Chisti) was a Mughal general and the Subahdar of Bihar and later Bengal. He transferred the capital of Bengal from Rajmahal to Sonargaon and founded the city of Jahangirnagar. ...

's battle at Daulambapur, South Sylhet against

Khwaja Usman Khawāja Uthmān Khān Lōhānī (), popularly known as Khwaja Usman, was a Pashtun chieftain and warrior based in northeastern Bengal. As one of the Baro-Bhuyans, he was a zamindar ruling over the northern parts of Bengal, including Greater M ...

in 1612. Iftiyar died in this battle. Emperor

Jahangir Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was List of emperors of the Mughal Empire, Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal emperors, Mughal ...

granted

jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...

to Allah Yar Khan, who died in 1650.

Career

Following

Mir Jumla II Mir Jumla II (12 February 1591 – 30 March 1663), or Amir Jumla, also known as Ardistānī Mir Muhammad, was a military general, wealthy diamond trader, a ''Vizier'' of Golconda sultanate, and later a prominent subahdar of Bengal under the ...

's conquest of Cooch Behar, Isfandiyar Beg was put in charge of governing the area and defeated the previous ruler, Pran Narayan. According to a

sanad Sanad may refer to: People Given name *Sanad Al Warfali (born 1992), Libyan footballer *Sanad Ali (born 1988), Emirati footballer *Sanad Bushara Abdel-Nadief (born 1947), Sudanese footballer *Sanad ibn Ali, 9th century Iraqi Jewish astronomer, tran ...

from Dhar Chowdhury of Pailgaon, Isfandiyar Beg had revenues in Sylhet in 1658. Isfandiyar Khan succeeded

Lutfullah Shirazi Mīr Lutfullāh Khān Bahādur Shirāzī (, , ), was a Mughal official who held a number of positions during his life such as the Faujdar of Shujabad Sarkar from 1656 to 1658 and the faujdar of Sylhet Sarkar up until 1663. Background and or ...

as Faujdar of Sylhet in 1663. Isfandiyar was known to have destroyed the

Adina Mosque The Adina Mosque is a former mosque in Malda District, West Bengal, India. It was the largest structure of its kind in the Indian subcontinent and was built during the Bengal Sultanate as a royal mosque by Sikandar Shah, who is also buried in ...

replica in

Sylhet town Sylhet (; ) is a metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as of 2025, the ...

because the

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

started Eid al-Adha prayers without waiting for him. However, after its destruction, Isfandiyar attempted to build another mosque in Dargah Mahalla. The ruins of this mosque can be seen today, behind the trees near the Dargah Gateway. Isfandiyar also officially recognised Shaykh Pir Bakhsh as the rightful khadim (guardian) of

Shah Jalal Shāh Jalāl Mujarrad Kunyāʾī (), popularly known as Shah Jalal (), was a celebrated Sufi Saint, conqueror and historical figure of Bengal. His name is often associated with the Muslim conquest of Sylhet and the Spread of Islam into the ...

dargah A Sufi shrine or dargah ( ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargāh'' दरगाह درگاہ, ''dôrgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervi ...

, a descendant of Haji Muhammad Yusuf who was the dargah's first guardian. Isfandiyar granted land to Shah Kamal Estate of Durmut in Jamalpur. Khan was succeeded by

Syed Ibrahim Khan Syed Ibrāhīm Khān (, ), was a Faujdar of the Mughal Bengal's Sylhet Sarkar. He succeeded Isfandiyar Beg as faujdar in 1665. In the same year, Khan granted 11.25 ''hal''s of land in the parganas of Alinagar, Dakshinkachh and Ita to Mohesh Bha ...

in 1665.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Beg, Isfandiyar Rulers of Sylhet Mughal princes 17th-century Indian monarchs 17th-century Indian Muslims 17th-century Mughal Empire people

Early life

Career

See also

References