| Saifuddin Firoze Shah | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 TheFiroz Minar inGauda | |||||
| 15thSultan of Bengal | |||||
| Reign | 1487–1489 | ||||
| Predecessor | Barbak Shah II | ||||
| Successor | Mahmud Shah II | ||||
| Born | Malik Andil | ||||
| Died | 1489 (1490) Bengal Sultanate | ||||
| |||||
| House | Habshi | ||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||
Malik Andil Habshi (Bengali:মালিক আন্দিল হাবশী), better known by hisregnal titleSaifuddin Firoze Shah (Bengali:সাইফউদ্দীন ফিরোজ শাহ,Persian:سیف الدین فیروز شاه) was the second "Habshi" ruler of theBengal Sultanate's Habshi dynasty. He was a former army commander of the Sultanate'sIlyas Shahi dynasty.[2]
Andil was an army commander of theIlyas Shahi dynasty who seized power after killing the rebel Sultan,Barbak Shah II, in 1487. After claiming the throne, he styled himself asSaifuddin Firuz Shah. It is said that Andil was an eunuch.[3]
He is often considered as the real founder of the Habshi rule in Bengal as his predecessor Shahzada Barbak only ruled for a few months.[4] This is reinforced in an inscription found in Garh Jaripa inSreebardi, Sherpur, where he ordered the construction of someone's tomb and referred to himself as Sultan al-Ahad (the first Sultan). The four corners of the specific tomb each bore the names of theRashidun caliphs and the inscription sent blessings upon theIslamic prophetMuhammad, his daughterFatimah and her two sonsHasan andHusayn. This inscription now can be found in theIndian Museum, Kolkata.[1] Firuz Shah minted coins during his reign which mention the historical town of Mahmudabad.[5]
He is described as a patron of architecture and calligraphy in Bengal. He ordered Majlis Sa'd to build a mosque inMaldah. On 18 January 1489, he ordered Mukhlis Khan to construct a ten-domed mosque in Goamatli,Maldah. In the same year, he also ordered Ulugh Ali Zafar Khan to construct a mosque inKalna.[1][6] It is also considered that the Bokainagar and Tajpur forts were established byMajlis Khan Humayun during his expedition toKamarupa, under the orders of Firuz Shah.[7] He also built the Katra mosque in Maldah and the inscription contains authenticTughra calligraphy.[8]
His most famous architecture is theFiruz Minar. Named after himself, it is a large five-storey tower situated inGauda.[9] The construction started in 1485 before his reign, but was completed in 1489 to commemorate his victories in the battlefield.[10][11] According to tradition, he threw the chief architect from the topmost storey, as he was not satisfied with the tower's height and wanted it to be taller.[12]
His rule lasted two years until his death in 1489, and was succeeded by his adopted son,Mahmud Shah II.[2] Most historians consider that he died of natural causes, while some such asGhulam Husain Salim andJadunath Sarkar theorized that he was killed by one of the Abyssinian palace-guards.[3]
| Preceded by | Habshi dynasty of Bengal 1487–1489 | Succeeded by |