Ahmad Shah

Ahmad Shah , c.1723-1773, Afghan ruler (1747-73), founder of the Durani dynasty. His success in commanding Afghan forces in India for Nadir Shah of Iran won him the rule of Afghanistan on Nadir's death (1747). He twice (1756, 1760) occupied and sacked Delhi, the capital of the Mughal empire. He conquered a vast territory, extending roughly from the Oxus to the Indus rivers and from Tibet to Khorasan, but he was unable to consolidate this empire and it soon disintegrated. He united and strengthened Afghanistan, however, and is therefore often considered its modern founder. His family retained power until the rise of Dost Muhammad .

Ahmad, Ustad ( Ustad Ahmad Lahori) (c.1580–1649). Master Ahmad of Lahore, also known as Ahmad Mi'mar (Ahmad the Architect), became chief architect to Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–58). He is credited with the design of the huge Red Fort at Delhi (1639–48), and may have designed the Tâj Mahal (mausoleum of Arjumand Banu Begum, known as Mumtaz Mahal (d.1631)) at Agra (1631–48 and later). If these and other attributions are correct, he was one of the greatest architects of C17.

Bibliography

Placzek (ed.) (1982)