Ali Mardan Khan (died April 1657[1]) was a Kurdish[2] noble at the court of Safavid King Shah Tahmasp but after surrendering the Afghan city of Qandahar to Emperor Shah Jahan in 1638, he was a well recognised figure at the Mughal court.
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 his brother and the officers of his army. He was appointed governor of Kashmir, Kabul[3][4] and Lahore.
He later received the title of Amir al Umara (Lord of Lords) in 1639 and made him 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.
Ali Mardan Khan’s tomb is located on Mughalpura Road in Lahore, Pakistan.
A garden named after him "Bagh i Ali Mardan Khan" still survives in Srinagar Kashmir.