Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah
| Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah | |
|---|---|
| Sultan of Sonargaon | |
| Reign | 1338–1349 |
| Predecessor | Governor Bahram Khan (under Delhi Sultanate) |
| Successor | Sultan Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah |
| Died | 1349 Sonargaon Sultanate |
| Burial | 1349 |
| Issue | Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah |
| House | Mubarak Shahi Dynasty |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah (Bengali: ফখরুদ্দীন মুবারক শাহ, Persian: فخر الدین مبارک شاه; reigned: 1338–1349), also known simply as Fakhra,[1] was the founder of an independent sultanate and the Mubarak Shahi Dynasty, covering modern-day eastern and southeastern Bangladesh.[2][3] His kingdom was centred in the city of Sonargaon, which emerged as a major regional power during his reign.[4] He was also the first Muslim ruler to conquer Chittagong, the principal port of the Bengal region, in 1340 AD.[5]
Early life
According to some historians, Mubarak was born into a Sunni Muslim family in a village located in the eastern part of Noakhali, in present day Bangladesh. Though the exact location of this village is not certain, it is thought to be situated in the Kabirhat Upazila.[6] According to academic consensus, Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah was of Turkic descent and belonged to Qaraunah Turk group, a military elite group active in Central Asia and Delhi Sultanate during 14th century. His rise to power and subsequent rebellion against the Delhi Sultanate are characterized by historians as part of a broader power struggle between competing Turkic factions of that period.[7][2][8] Mubarak found employment as a silahdar (chief armour-bearer) under Bahram Khan, the governor of Sonargaon appointed by Delhi's sultan, Muhammad bin Tughluq.
Reign
After the death of Bahram Khan in 737 AH (1336–1337 AD), Mubarak rose to power and declared himself an independent ruler, establishing his capital in Sonargaon.[2] After hearing of Mubarak's revolt against Delhi, the Governor of Lakhnauti, Qadar Khan, sent a large army to suppress him. Mubarak fled the battlefield, his assets were captured by Qadar Khan's forces, and Sonargaon was seized. However, Mubarak managed to execute Qadar Khan and regain Sonargaon by luring Qadar Khan's army, which had fallen into dissension regarding the sharing of the spoils. He then appointed his servant Mukhlis to administer Lakhnauti, but Mukhlis was defeated by Qadar Khan's ariz (war minister), Alauddin Ali Shah.[1]
Mubarak's conquests of Comilla and Noakhali were followed by territorial gains to the north in Sylhet and to the south in Chittagong.[2] His military initiatives included a successful naval action against Sultan Alauddin Ali Shah of Lakhnauti.[2] Shah sponsored several construction projects, including a trunk road and raised embankments, along with mosques and tombs.[2] Ibn Battuta, after visiting his capital in 1346, described Shah as "a distinguished sovereign who loved strangers, particularly the fakirs and sufis."[2]
The Iqlim (administrative division) of Mubarakabad is said to have been named after him.[9]
Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah, who according to historian Jadunath Sarkar was most probably Fakhruddin's son, succeeded him and ruled the independent sultanate from Sonargaon until 1352.[3]
According to Sahidul Hasan, a faculty member at the University of Dhaka, Mubarak's reign started at 734 AH (1333–1334 AD) based on the numismatic evidence in Stan Goron and G. P. Goenka's catalogue on seven new coins of Mubarak.[10]
References
- 1 2 History Of The Qaraunah Turks In India, Ishwari Prasad
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Khan, Muazzam Hussain (2012). "Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
- 1 2 Sarkar, Jadunath (1973) [First published 1948]. The History of Bengal. Vol. II: Muslim Period, 1200–1757. Patna: Academica Asiatica. p. 96. OCLC 924890.
- ↑ "Historic archaeological sites need to be preserved". The Daily Star. UNB. 5 September 2009. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "About Chittagong:History". Local Government Engineering Department, Government of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ↑ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ↑ Prasad, Ishwari. A History of the Qaraunah Turks in India. p. 152.
- ↑ Haig, Wolseley, ed. (1928). The Cambridge History of India, Volume III: Turks and Afghans. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ Ahmad Hasan Dani (20 April 2024). "Analysis of the Inscriptions". Asiatic Society Of Pakistan Vol-ii. pp. 28 and 110.
- ↑ "A new reading of Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah and Sonargaon's independence". The Daily Star. Retrieved 27 April 2026.