Makhdum Shah (wife of Amir Mubarez)

Makhdum Shah Khan Qatlu was the daughter of Sultan Qutb al-Din Shah Jahan and granddaughter of Sultan Jalal al-Din Suyurghatmish, the Qarakhitai ruler of Kerman. She was the wife of Amir Mubariz al-Din Muhammad and the mother of Shah Shuja.^[1] Her authority was recognized in the region of Fars.^[2]

During her father's reign, and later during her husband's rule, she supervised military affairs and took an active role in warfare.^[3] Makhdum Shah, the wife of Amir Mubariz al-Din, belonged to the local tribes of the region and had wide influence in Kerman. Amir Mubarez al-Din, knowing well that the support of the Qarakhitai family could ensure Kerman's military security, appointed his wife to act on his behalf to oversee and manage affairs.^[4] She was the granddaughter of Sultan Jalal al-Din Suyurghatmish and the cousin of the Khatoon, ruler of Kerman. She was born to Qutb al-Din Shah Jahan and later moved to Shiraz after being removed from power. After her father's death, she married Amir Muhammad in 1328, the son of Muzaffar,^[5] and gave birth to Shah Shuja, Shah Mahmoud, Sultan Ahmad, Ali, and Makhdumzadeh.

But she never left her job with Shah Shuja, the son of Khajeh Hafez, and continued to oversee all state affairs from afar. Khan Qatlu's presence, as the mother of the king in Kerman, prevented Pahlavan Asad, the governor of Kerman, from rebelling in the city on behalf of Shah Shuja, even though he was being encouraged to revolt by Amir Mahmoud, son of Amir Qutb al-Din Sulayman Shah, and by Shah Yahya, of Yazd. Following a conflict between wrestlers from Kerman and Khorasan, the king's mother sided with the people of Kerman, while Pahlavan Asad supported the Khorasanis. As a result, complaints against Pahlavan Asad were repeatedly sent to Shiraz, but no serious action was taken against him.^[6]

After her husband's death in 1364,^[7] Makhdum Shah lived in Kerman, but her messengers constantly traveled between Kerman and Shiraz to maintain her connection with her son, Shah Shuja.^[8]

At that time, Pahlavan Asad, a descendant of Mu'ayyad al-Din Ay Abeh and a former ruler in Fars, was acting as Shah Shuja's deputy in Kerman. As tensions grew and a conflict broke out between the wrestlers from Kerman and Khorasan, Makhdum Shah was forced to move from Kerman to Sirjan to inform Shah Shuja about the situation.^[9][10]

She mobilized the prominent leaders of Kerman, such as Khajeh Shams al-Din, Khajeh Qutb al-Din, and the Kotwal of one of the important forts in the region, against Pahlavan Asad. Finally, through plans carried out by Pahlavan Asad's wife, who hoped to gain Shah Shuja's support, Pahlavan Asad was arrested and killed in 776 AH as punishment for his betrayals. Later, she stirred some of Kerman's leading figures against him again, and with the cooperation of Pahlavan Asad's wife—who was one of the scheming women of that time, eager to gain Shah Shuja's attention—he was captured and executed in 776 AD. That same woman was soon killed by Pahlavan Asad's supporters to avenge the crime.^[11][12]

Ahmad Ali Vaziri, the author of the History of Kerman, attributes Amir Mubarez al-Din's control over Kerman to the presence of his wife, Makhdum Shah.^[13]

The Tomb of Makhdum Shah Daulat is a Mughal-era mausoleum located in Maner, approximately 30 kilometres west of Patna in the Indian state of Bihar. Constructed in 1616 CE, the structure houses the remains of the Sufi saint Makhdum Shah Daulat, who lived during the 16th century. The monument is regarded as an example of Mughal funerary architecture in eastern India.

The tomb is built on an octagonal plan, a form commonly used in Mughal mausoleum design. The structure is constructed primarily of stone and features carved lattice screens (jaali), which permit the passage of light and air into the interior. These screens also illustrate the stone-carving techniques employed during the period. The exterior walls are decorated with calligraphic inscriptions in Persian and Arabic, including verses from the Quran and commemorative texts. The inscriptions are executed in the Nastaliq script, which was widely used in Mughal architectural decoration.

The interior of the tomb contains the cenotaph of Makhdum Shah Daulat. In accordance with customary practice at Sufi shrines, the cenotaph is draped in cloth.

The tomb complex includes a surrounding garden laid out in a manner associated with the Mughal charbagh (four-part garden) pattern, a landscape style symbolically linked to the concept of paradise in Islamic tradition. The site functions both as a place of pilgrimage and as a historical monument.^[14]