Malik Ayaz

Type Figure Region Northern India Time c. 1000–1040 Also known as Malik Ayaz、Malik Ayaz of Lahore、Ayaz

Malik Ayaz, originally a Turkic slave, was raised by Ghaznavid sultan Mahmud and served as governor of Lahore, administering the Ghaznavid empire's g…

Timeline

c. 1015–1020Ghazni · GhazniAyaz, of slave origin, was favored by Mahmud and entered the circle of close courtiers; for his ability and loyalty he was granted the title 'Malik' and entrusted with responsibility for the Indian frontier.
1021–1030Lahore · LahoreIn the 1020s Ayaz was based in Lahore, consolidating Ghaznavid rule over Punjab, building city defenses, and managing frontier trade and taxation; in Mahmud's later years he relied heavily on him to guard the gateway to northern India.
1030–1040Lahore · LahoreAfter Mas'ud acceded in 1030 Ayaz remained in office at Lahore, continuing to govern Punjab; his tomb stands in Lahore, and later Persian literature celebrated the bond between Mahmud and Ayaz.

Sources

Clifford Edmund Bosworth, The Later Ghaznavids — Clifford Edmund Bosworth
Encyclopaedia of Islam, s.v. Ayāz