page_title: Mirza Ismail
section_title: Personal life
hierarchical_section_title: Mirza Ismail / Personal life
caption_attribution_description: English: Sir Ismail Mirza, with eldest children of Mahmood Mirza
context_page_description: Sir Mirza Muhammad Ismail - Amin-ul-Mulq, KCIE, OBE; was an Indian statesman who was the Diwan of the Kingdoms of Mysore, Jaipur and Hyderabad.
  Sir Chetpat Pattabhirama Ramaswami Iyer, Diwan, Travancore considered him "one of the cleverest men in India". Long-time friend Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman said that "Sir Mirza's accessibility and personal charm coupled with his depth of knowledge and his keen sense of human and cultural values made him a great and highly successful administrator".
context_section_description: Sir Mirza's grandfather Ali Askar was a Persian trader (mainly of horses) who fled Iran and took refuge under the wings of the Maharaja of Mysore. He and his brother, Aga Abbas Ali, prospered wildly under the patronage of the Maharaja. They trained the royal cavalry and supplied horses to the royal and army stables. Over time, Ali Askar evolved into a prominent builder and landowner in Bangalore and adjoining areas. He created the Ali Asker Waqf Estate which owns the land upon which the Windsor Manor hotel in Bangalore is built. Two roads in Bangalore have been named in honour of the two brothers, namely Ali Askar Road and Aga Abbas Ali Road.
  Mirza Ismail married Zeebundeh Begum Shirazi in a match arranged by their parents in the usual Indian way. They had three children, a son who they named Humayun Mirza, and two daughters, Shah Taj Begum and Gauhar Taj Begum.
  One of Mirza Ismail's cousins was Khaleel Shirazie, an affluent businessman whose business empire extended from Madras to Singapore and China. Two of Mirza Ismail's children (Humayun Mirza and Shah Taj Begum) were married to two of Khaleel Shirazie's children. Mirza Ismail's younger daughter, Gauhar Taj Begum, was given in marriage to Mirza Namazie's son, Mirza Ghulam Hussain Namazie, who was Director of M.A. Namazie Ltd. in Singapore, which is where he lived. M. M. Ispahani the founder of The House of Ispahani and M. M. Ispahani Limited one of Bangladesh most illustrious businessmen was another of Mirza Ismail's cousin.
  Sir Mirza's grandson, Akbar Mirza Khaleeli (son of Shah Taj Begum) joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1959 and retired in 1994. At various times, he served as ambassador in Iran, Italy and Australia. Even after his retirement, he served as Advisor to the Indian government on Middle Eastern Affairs for many years. He was married to his cousin Shakereh née Namazie (daughter of Gauhar Taj begum), herself a granddaughter Mirza Ismail. The couple became the parents of four daughters but grew estranged. In 1991, Shakereh Khaleeli was murdered (sedated and buried alive) by a confident who wanted to usurp her property, a large house with a vast garden at a very posh location in downtown Bangalore. A final verdict of life imprisonment was awarded to her murderer in 2008. They have four daughters: Zeebundeh Khaleeli, Sabah Backhache, Rehane Yavar Dhala and Esmath Khaleeli.
  Agha Shahi and Agha Hilaly also inspired by Mirza Ismail, they chose to migrate to Pakistan during partition and became Foreign Secretaries of the Nation.
caption: Mirza Ismail, with eldest children of Mirza Mahmud
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