The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c19.s1.t1: Early career

c19.s1.t1.1

Malik Firoz was a Turk of the Khalji tribe. His ancestors, after having migrated from Turkistan, had lived for over 200 years in the Helmand valley and Lamghan, parts of Afghanistan called *Garmasir* or the hot region, and had adopted some Afghan manners and customs. They were, therefore, wrongly looked upon as Afghans by the Turkish nobles in India. Firoz’s family had migrated to our country and taken up service under the Turkish Sultans of Delhi. Firoz had risen to the important position of *sar-i-jandar*, that is, the head of the royal bodyguard, and was, subsequently, appointed governor of Samana. He was a very able soldier and, as a governor of the frontier province of Samana, had fought a number of engagements against the Mongol invaders and repelled them. He had thus acquired reputation as a successful soldier and administrator. He was, consequently, given the title of Shaista Khan. On the death of Malik Tuzaki he was promoted to the high office of army minister by Kaiqubad. Besides being a minister at the court of Delhi, Firoz was also the head of the large Khalji clan whose members were scattered all over Hindustan. A section of this tribe had ruled Bangal since the time of Ikhtiyar-ud-din bin Bakhtiyar Khalji. At the time of his promotion to ministership, he was probably the most experienced and powerful Turkish nobleman in Delhi.