Malik Ayaz

**Malik Ayaz** (Persian: ملک ایاز; d 1041), son of Aymāq Abu'n-Najm, was a Historical slave of the Muslim world from Georgia who rose to the rank of officer and general in the army of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. He was later awarded the governorship of Lahore. Malik Ayaz's slave-generalship to Mahmud inspired poems and stories, and caused Muslim historians and Sufis to commemorate Malik Ayaz due to his unwavering feudalistic loyalty to Mahmud Ghaznavi. He was found dead in his bed in 1041, with suspicions of foul play being involved.

## Early life and feudal career

In 1021, the Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi raised Ayaz to Lordship, awarding him the throne of Lahore, which the Sultan had taken after a long siege and a fierce battle in which the city was torched and depopulated. As the first Muslim governor of Lahore, he rebuilt and repopulated the city. He also added many important features, such as a masonry fort, which he built in the period of 1037–1040 on the ruins of the previous one, demolished in the fighting, and city gates (as recorded by Munshi Sujan Rae Bhandari, author of the _Khulasatut Tawarikh_ (1596 C.E.). The present Lahore Fort is built in the same location. Under his rule the city became a cultural and academic center, renowned for poetry.

The tomb of Malik Ayaz can still be seen in the Rang Mahal area of Lahore. The tomb and the garden was destroyed by the Sikhs during their rule of Lahore and the tomb was rebuilt after the Partition of British India.

## Relationship with Mahmud of Ghazni

The nature of the relationship between Mahmud and Ayaz is disputed. Some sources, particularly from Persian poetry, state that the two men were lovers. However, contemporary Ghaznavid authors like Gardizi, Farrukhi and Bayhaqi make no mention of a romantic relationship between Mahmud and Ayaz, rather describing Ayaz as either a commander, a noble or a close associate of Sultan Mahmud. Nizami Aruzi, writing roughly a century after the death of Mahmud, presents an alternative narrative about the relationship between Mahmud and Ayaz in his book _Chahar Maqala,_ where they are not lovers, although Mahmud still is in love with Ayaz. Aruzi tells a story in which Mahmud, due to being a pious Muslim, suppresses his feelings and refuses to act upon them, resulting in an incident in which Mahmud orders Ayaz to cut off his tresses, so that he would less attracted to him thus be able to better restrain himself from committing a sin.

## Malik Ayaz in Sufism

Amjad Farid Sabri, the slain Qawwal of Pakistan performed a song dedicated to Malik Ayaz, which praises the man for his feudalistic loyalty to Mahmud of Ghazni, the song also mentions Ajmer Sharif Dargah and how it attracts female devotees with the same devotion.

## Related pages

- Ghaznavid Empire

## Further reading

- Khalid, Kanwal. "Lahore During The Ghaznavid Period: A Socio- Political and Cultural Study."

## Infobox (royalty)

- **name**: Ahmed Ayaz
- **succession**: Ghaznavid Governor of Lahore
- **title**: Malik
(Lord)
- **image**: Mahmud and Ayaz and Shah Abbas I.jpg
- **caption**: Ayaz standing behind Mahmud of Ghazni, Sultan Mahmud shaking hands with the Sheykh. The figure to his right is Abbas the Great, Shah Abbas I who reigned about 600 years later.
Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran
- **reign**: 1021–1041
- **predecessor**: _Position Established_
- **successor**: Majdud Ghaznavi
- **full name**: Malik Ahmed Ayaz bin Aymaq Abu'n Najm
- **religion**: Sunni Islam
- **father**: Aymaq Abu'n Najm
- **birth place**: Kingdom of Abkhazia
(present day Georgia (country), Georgia)
- **death date**: 8 August 1041
- **death place**: Lahore, Ghaznavids, Ghaznavid Empire
(present day Lahore, Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan)