Asaf Khan IV

Abu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan (c. 1569 – 12 June 1641) was a Mughal noble of Persian origin who became one of the most powerful men of the empire under Jahangir and Shah Jahan.¹ He was the son of Mirza Ghiyas Beg, the elder brother of Nur Jahan, and the father of Arjumand Banu Begum, known after her marriage to Shah Jahan as Mumtaz Mahal.¹²

Asaf Khan was born around 1569 into a Persian family; his father Mirza Ghiyas Beg had held office at the court of Shah Ismail II before the family moved to India.¹ The articles disagree on his birthplace: the English article gives Safavid Iran, while the Arabic and Urdu articles give Kandahar.¹³⁴ He married Diwanji Begum, a daughter of Khwaja Ghias-ud-din of Qazvin, and his daughter Arjumand Banu Begum married Prince Khurram, the future Shah Jahan, in 1612.¹

Asaf Khan entered Mughal service and rose through the ranks, receiving a military rank at Jahangir's court in 1607.¹ After his sister Nur Jahan married Jahangir in 1611 his influence grew, and he was appointed the emperor's vakil-i mutlaq, his plenipotentiary deputy.¹² In 1615 he was granted arms and a standard with a higher rank, and in 1619 Jahangir gave him charge of the royal prince.¹ At Lahore he entertained Jahangir with lavish feasts at his residence there.¹

When Jahangir died in 1627, Asaf Khan orchestrated the enthronement of the puppet emperor Dawar Bakhsh in order to secure Shah Jahan's eventual accession.¹ Shah Jahan rewarded him with appointment as grand vizier, and he remained in office until his death.¹ He was known for his interest in architecture and built himself a garden residence in Lahore.¹ He died on 12 June 1641 and was buried in his tomb at Shahdara Bagh in Lahore, across the Ravi from Jahangir's tomb.¹