Ali Mardan Khan


Ali Mardan Khan was a Kurdish military leader and administrator, serving under the Safavid kings Shah Abbas I and Shah Safi, and later the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan. He was the son of Ganj Ali Khan. After surrendering the city of Qandahar, part of the easternmost territories of the Safavids to the Mughals in 1638, he served with distinction in the Mughal administration, earning the highest honors of the Mughal court.

Biography

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 Kabul 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 lakhs for the officers of his army. He was appointed governor of Kashmir, Kabul and Punjab.
He later received the title of Amir al-Umara in 1639 and became 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.
There is a locality named after him "Bagh-e-Ali Mardan Khan" in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir.