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{{Short description|Sultan of Kashmir (r. 1418–1419, 1420–1470)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2021}}
{{Other people5|Zayn al-Abidin (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox royalty
| type = Monarch
| name = Zayn al-Abidin{{break}}{{lang|fa|{{nq|{{nobold|زين العابدين}}}}}}
| title = {{ubl|{{transliteration|ks|[[Padishah|Baḍshāh]]}}|{{transliteration|ar|[[Naib|Na'ib]] [[Amir al-Mu'minin]]}}|{{transliteration|ar|[[Sultan|Sultan al-Az'am]]}}}}
| image = King of Kashmir (2).jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Depiction of a "King of Kashmir" in the ''[[:Commons:Category:Anvar-i Suhayli|Anwar-e-Sohaili]]'' of [[Husayn Kashifi]], {{circa|1500}}, [[Herat]] <ref>{{cite book |last1=Balafrej |first1=Lamia |title=The making of the artist in late Timurid painting |date=2019 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |location=Edinburgh |isbn=9781474437455 |pages=56-57 |quote=Figure 1.7 ‘Story of the King of Kashmir’ from a copy of the Anwar-i suhayli of Husayn Wa’iz Kashifi. Herat (?), c. 1480. 16.7 × 9.7 cm (jadwal). Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC: The Art and History Collection, LTS1995.2.155. (...) The accompanying text does not include any narrative. It describes the king of Kashmir, emphasizing his wealth and his military power.}}</ref>
| regnal name = {{plainlist|
* Qutb al-Din Abu al-Mujahid al-Adil us-Sultan<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hasan |first=Mohibbul |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781032666709 |title=Kashmir Under the Sultans |date=2023-09-26 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-032-66670-9 |location=London |pages=294|doi=10.4324/9781032666709 }}</ref>
* {{langx|fa|{{Nastaliq|قطب الدین ابو المجاهد العادل السلطان}}|label=none}}
}}
| succession1 = [[Kashmir Sultanate|Sultan of Kashmir]]
| reign1 = {{Nowrap|20 February 1418 – December 1419}}
| coronation1 = 20 February 1418
| predecessor1 = [[Ali Shah Miri|Ali Shah]]
| successor1 = [[Ali Shah Miri|Ali Shah]]
| reign2 = {{Nowrap|7 July 1420 – 5 April 1470}}
| coronation2 = 7 July 1420
| predecessor2 = [[Ali Shah Miri|Ali Shah]]
| successor2 = [[Haider Shah Miri|Haider Shah]]
{{infobox officeholder
| embed = yes
| office = [[Vizier|Wazir of Kashmir]]
| term_start = 30 December 1416
| term_end = 20 February 1418
| monarch = [[Ali Shah Miri|Ali Shah]]
| predecessor = Hamsa Bhat
| successor = ''[[Suspension (punishment)|Office suspended]]''
}}
| issue = Adham Khan [[Haider Shah Miri|Haji Khan]] [[Hasan Shah Miri|Hasan Khan]] Bahram Khan Jasrat Khan ''two daughters''
| issue-link =
| issue-pipe =
| house = [[Shah Mir dynasty|Shah Mir]]
| dynasty = [[Gibarid dynasty|Gibari]]{{efn|Modern scholarship differ on the origin of the Shah Mirs. However, most modern historians generally accept that Shah Mir, the founder of the dynasty, was from [[Sultanate of Swat|Swat]] in [[Dardistan]].<ref name=Schimmel/><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Wani |first1=Muhammad Ashraf |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DgymEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT255 |title=The Making of Early Kashmir: Intercultural Networks and Identity Formation |last2=Wani |first2=Aman Ashraf |date=2023-02-22 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-83655-4 |pages=225 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Balrafiq/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Malik |first=Jamal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZAT1DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA157 |title=Islam in South Asia: Revised, Enlarged and Updated Second Edition |date=2020-04-06 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-42271-1 |pages=157 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Holt |first1=Peter Malcolm |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y99jTbxNbSAC&pg=PA25 |title=The Cambridge History of Islam |last2=Lambton |first2=Ann K. S. |last3=Lewis |first3=Bernard |date=1970 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-29137-8 |pages=25 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Markovits |first=Claude |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r2OKvG5wbaAC&pg=PA40 |title=A History of Modern India, 1480-1950 |date=2004-09-24 |publisher=Anthem Press |isbn=978-1-84331-152-2 |pages=40 |language=en}}</ref> Some accounts including those of Tahir, Haidar Malik, Rafiu'd Din Ahmad and Muhammad A'azam trace his descent from the [[Sultanate of Swat|Gibarid rulers of Swāt]].<ref>{{citation |last=Gull |first=Surayia |title=Mir Saiyid Ali Hamadani And Kubraviya Sufi Order In Kashmir |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ldvXAAAAMAAJ |date=2003 |publisher=Kanikshka Publishers, Distributors |isbn=978-81-7391-581-9 |page=3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bhatt |first=Saligram |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=It1LePnN2LsC&pg=PA108 |title=Kashmiri Scholars Contribution to Knowledge and World Peace: Proceedings of National Seminar by Kashmir Education Culture & Science Society (K.E.C.S.S.), New Delhi |date=2008 |publisher=APH Publishing |isbn=978-81-313-0402-0 |pages=108 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hasan |first=Mohibbul |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EUlwmXjE9DQC&pg=PA42 |title=Kashmir Under the Sultans |date=2005 |publisher=Aakar Books |isbn=978-81-87879-49-7 |pages=42 |language=en}}</ref>}}
| father = [[Sikandar Shah Miri|Sikandar Shah]]
| mother = Mira Khatun
| spouse-type = Consort
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Taj Khatoon]]|1421|1468|end=died}} A sister of Manik Dev, Raja of Jammu<ref>{{cite book|last=Hasan|first=Mohibbul|title=Kashmir Under the Sultans|year=1959|page=82|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.pahar.3147/page/82/mode/2up}}</ref> Sunder Devi, daughter of Sunder Sena, Raja of Rajauri{{sfn|Hasan|1959|p=82}}
| full name = Ghiyath al-Din Shah Rukh Shahi Khan {{nq|غیاث الدین شاہ رخ شاهی خان}} Zayn al-Abidin {{nq|زین العابدین}}
| posthumous name = Akbar-e-Kashmir ([[Akbar]] of Kashmir)
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1395|11|25|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Srinagar]], [[Kashmir Sultanate]] {{small|(present-day [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India)}}
| birth_name = Shah Rukh
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1470|04|05|1395|11|25|df=yes}}
| death_place = Srinagar, Kashmir Sultanate
| burial_date = 12 April 1470
| burial_place = Mazar-e-Salatin, Zaina Kadal, Srinagar
| religion = [[Sunni Islam]]{{efn|School of [[Fiqh|Jurisprudence]]: [[Hanafi school|Hanafi]]}}
}}

'''Ghiyath al-Din Shah Rukh Shahi Khan''' ({{Langx|fa|{{nq|غیاث الدین شاه رخ شاهی خان}}|translit=Ghiyāth al-Dīn Shāh Rukh Shāhī Khān}}; 25 November 1395 – 5 April 1470), commonly known as '''Zayn al-Abidin the Great''',{{efn|{{Langx|fa|{{nq|زین العابدینِ اعظم}},|translit=Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn-e-Āzam}}}} was the ninth sultan of the [[Kashmir Sultanate]], ruling first from 1418 to 1419 and then from 1420 to 1470. He was famously called '''Baḍshāh''' (The Great King) by his subjects.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Walter Slaje, Three Bhaṭṭas, Two Sulṭāns, and the Kashmirian Atharvaveda. In: The Atharvaveda and its Paippalādaśākhā. Historical and Philological Papers on a Vedic Tradition. Ed. by ARLO GRIFFITHS and ANNETTE SCHMIEDCHEN. [Geisteskultur Indiens. Texte und Studien.11. = Studia Indologica Univer-sitatis Halensis.] Aachen 2007: 329–353.</ref>

The first 35 years of his reign are described by [[Jonaraja]] in the ''[[Rajatarangini]] Dvitiya'', while the subsequent years are described by his pupil, [[Shrivara|Srivara]], in the ''[[Rajatarangini]] Tritiya''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Sharma |first=Tej Ram |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vkpTy-_jEoYC&pg=PA37 |title=Historiography: A History of Historical Writing |date=2005 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |isbn=978-81-8069-155-3}}</ref> The Sultan also composed poetry in Persian under the pen name of '''Qutb'''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hasan |first=Mohibbul |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781032666709 |title=Kashmir Under the Sultans |date=2023-09-26 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-032-66670-9 |location=London |pages=91|doi=10.4324/9781032666709 }}</ref>

Under Zayn al-Abidin’s five-decade rule, Kashmir flourished with a remarkable economic stability, which spurred significant commercial growth. Diplomatic missions were dispatched to foreign lands, enhancing trade networks and boosting the region's commercial standing. This led to the expansion of bustling central markets in [[Srinagar]] and [[Anantnag]]. His reign also witnessed a vibrant [[Culture of Kashmir|cultural renaissance]], with advancements in [[Education in Jammu and Kashmir|education]], [[Literature of Kashmir|literature]], and poetry. Additionally, Kashmiri architecture evolved, incorporating elements of [[Indo-Islamic architecture|Indo-Islamic styles]], further enriching the region's heritage.

Zayn al-Abidin was succeeded as sultan by his son, Haji Khan, later known as [[Haider Shah Miri|Haider Shah]].

== Early life ==
[[File:Tanka Coin of Sikandar Shah Miri.png|thumb|200px|[[History of the taka|Tanka coin]] of Sikandar Shah, {{circa|1394}}]]
After Sultan of Kashmir [[Sikandar Shah Miri|Sikandar Shah]] defeated the chief of [[Attock Khurd|Ohind]], Firuz, in the early part of his reign, Sikandar married his daughter Mira Khatun as a form of sovereignty. Ghiyath al-Din Shah Rukh Shahi Khan was born to them on 25 November 1395 (the eleventh day of [[Safar]], 798 [[Hijri year|AH]]) at the royal palace in Srinagar.

On 30 December 1416 (on the day of [[Eid al-Adha]]), Shahi Khan assassinated the rebellious [[Vizier|Wazir]] of Sultan [[Ali Shah Miri|Ali Shah]], Hamsabhatta, in the [[Eidgah]]. Ali Shah, who was glad at his fall, appointed Shahi Khan as his Wazir.

== Rise to power ==
{{Main|Kashmir Civil War (1419–1420)}}
Shahi Khan was given the charge of the sultanate, when his elder brother, Ali Shah, left on a pilgrimage to [[Mecca]]. It was at this time that Ali Shah gave Shahi Khan the title of {{Transliteration|ar|Zayn al-Abidin}} (ornament of worshippers). Although a religious man, Ali Shah was weak-willed and his desire to attain Mecca buckled under descriptions of the arduous journey ahead. He abandoned his pilgrimage when he arrived at the court of his father-in-law, the Raja of [[Jammu]] Bhim Dev, and raised an army consisting of soldiers from Jammu and [[Rajauri]] in order to regain his throne. The ancient texts vary regarding why it was that Zayn al-Abidin relinquished his recently acquired status without a fight but there is no disagreement that this is in fact what happened.<ref name=Hasanp70>{{harvp|Hasan, Kashmir Under the Sultans|2005|p=70}}</ref>

Retiring to [[Sialkot]], Zayn al-Abidin sought the support of its ruler, [[Jasrat]]. Ali Shah became angered when this support was forthcoming and he rashly set out with his army to challenge Khokhar which resulted into a [[Shah Mir Civil War|civil war]]. The forces met at [[Thanamandi|Thanna]] and Jasrat routed his forces, who had ignored the advice of his father-in-law to hold back until the Jammu army could join him. According to [[Srivara]], Ali Shah was killed by Jasrat. However, later Persian chronicles state that he was able to escape from the battlefield. Zayn al-Abidin was then able to return to the capital city of [[Srinagar]], where he was welcomed by his subjects. This however did not end the civil war as Ali Shah with the support from the Raja of Jammu, entered the Valley. Zayn al-Abidin marched against him through the [[Baramulla]] pass. Both the forces met at [[Uri, Jammu and Kashmir|Uri]] but Ali Shah was defeated again. The fate of Ali Shah is uncertain: he may have died in captivity or have been put to death by Khokhar.<ref name=Hasanp70/>

== Reign ==
[[File:Islamic_Sultanates._Kashmir._AR_Sasnu_(6.26_g)._Kashmir_mint._Fixed_date_AH_842_on_reverse.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Silver coin|Sasnu]] coin issued by Zayn al-Abidin, {{circa|1428}}]]
Although fundamentally a peaceful man, Zayn al-Abidin was protective of his territory. He raised and led an army to stabilise the fractious areas of [[Ladakh]] and [[Baltistan]] which had originally been conquered by his grandfather, [[Shihabu'd-Din Shah]], and then had become independent on his death until Sikander reasserted control. With the arrival of Ali Shah on the throne, the territories had once again begun to assert their independence and Zayn al-Abidin recognised that they had an economic and strategic significance which entailed that they could not be allowed to secede. Similarly, he regained control of [[Ohind]], the chief of which had been overcome by Sikander but had then announced independence during the period of rule by Ali Shah.{{sfnp|Hasan, Kashmir Under the Sultans|2005|p=78}}

He was on friendly terms with regard to the rulers of territories over which he inherited no historic control. The ancient records indicate that he gave and received presents to, and also exchanged embassies with [[Mamluk Egypt]], [[Timurid Empire|Timurid Khurasan]], [[Tomaras of Gwalior]], [[Sharif of Mecca]], [[Bengal Sultanate]], [[Samma dynasty|Sindh Sultanate]], [[Gujarat Sultanate]], [[Phagmodrupa dynasty|Phagmodrupa dynasty of Tibet]], [[Kar-Kiya dynasty|Kar-Kiyas of Gilan]], and elsewhere. Many of the gifts demonstrated the cultured nature of Zayn al-Abidin; they included works about music, manuscripts and people who were scholars, the latter being sent to him when he commented that an original gift of precious stones was of less interest to him than a gift of a learned nature would have been.{{sfnp|Hasan, Kashmir Under the Sultans|2005|p=80}}

During the last days of his reign, his three sons, Adam Khan, Haji Khan and Bahram Khan rebelled against him but he took energetic measures to crush them. He was succeeded by his son Haji Khan, who took the title of Haidar Khan.{{sfn|Majumdar|1967|p=383}}

=== Administrative policies ===
Zayn al-Abidin enforced the system of responsibility of the village communities for local crimes. He regulated the price of the commodities. He stabilized the currency which had been debased during the reign of his predecessors. He was responsible for a large number of public works.<ref name="Mahajan, V.D. 1991, p.277">Mahajan, V.D. (1991, reprint 2007). ''History of Medieval India'', Part I, New Delhi: S. Chand, {{ISBN|81-219-0364-5}}, p.277</ref> He founded several new cities, built many bridges and dug many irrigation canals. He also prevented the local governors from exacting illegal taxes and gave the peasants much needed tax relief.{{sfn|Majumdar|1967|p=382}}

=== Religious policies ===
Zayn al-Abidin earned a name for himself for his policy of religious toleration and public welfare activities. He abolished ''[[Jaziya]]'' on the Hindus of Kashmir. Although he was a Muslim ruler, he banned the slaughter of cows. He extended liberal patronage to [[Sanskrit]] language and literature.<ref name="Mehta">{{citation |last=Mehta |first=Jl |title=Advanced Study in the History of Medieval India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-TsMl0vSc0gC&pg=PA86 |publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd |isbn=978-81-207-1015-3 |pages=86–}}</ref> He knew [[Farsi|Persian]], [[Sanskrit]], and Tibetan. The ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and [[Kalhana|Kalhana's]] ''[[Rajatarangini]]'' were translated into Persian by his order. He was known for his religious tolerance. He called back the Hindus who left Kashmir during his father's reign.<ref name="Mahajan, V.D. 1991, p.277" />{{sfnp|Hasan, Kashmir Under the Sultans|2005|p=87}} He allowed the Hindus to build their temples and follow the personal law according to the [[Dharmashastra]]s. He stopped the killing of cows by means of poison and passed some regulations about eating beef. He re-introduced the grant of stipends to the learned Brahmans.{{sfn|Majumdar|1967|p=382}}

=== Construction projects ===
[[File:Tomb of Zain-ul-Abedin's mother.jpg|thumb|Tomb of the mother of Zayn al-Abidin known as the Budshah Tomb]]
Zayn al-Abidin undertook numerous construction projects during his reign, although only two or three of his buildings still exist. He founded the new town of Naushahr, which is now part of Srinagar, to serve as his capital. The ''[[pièce de résistance]]'' of the new capital was a spectacular 50-room palace built out of wood. [[Mirza Haidar Dughlat]] described this palace as having 12 storeys, a dome made out of gold, and halls lined with glass.{{sfnp|Hasan, Kashmir Under the Sultans|2005|p=97-8}}

Besides Naushahr, Zayn al-Abidin founded at least three other towns: Zaynapur, Zaynagir, and Zaynakot. Zaynagir boasted an impressive palace of its own, which was surrounded by a picturesque garden. This palace was probably destroyed during the later Shah Mir period. Zaynakot still exists as a village 4 km west of Srinagar. Another project Zayn al-Abidin undertook was the [[land reclamation|reclaiming]] of an island in the northeastern part of [[Wular Lake]]. The island had existed before, but by his time, it had become submerged. In 1443-4, he had a palace, mosque, and garden built on the reclaimed island, which was dubbed Zaynalank.{{sfnp|Hasan, Kashmir Under the Sultans|2005|p=98, 105}}

The only buildings commissioned by Zayn al-Abidin that still exist are the tomb of his mother, and the mosque and [[Madin Sahib|tomb of Madani]].{{sfnp|Hasan, Kashmir Under the Sultans|2005|p=97-8}}

== Death ==
[[File:Zeinulabuddin-tomb-srinagar1866.JPG|center|thumb|Tomb of Zayn al-Abidin in 1866]]
At the end of his career, Zayn al-Abidin suffered from [[amnesia]] and [[schizophrenia]]. His consort, [[Taj Khatoon]], was dead, and all four of his sons were busy quarrelling, among themselves for the throne.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-28 |title=Kashmir's 'Great King' Who Turned Schizophrenic During His Last Days |url=https://kashmirobserver.net/2022/05/28/kashmirs-great-king-who-turned-schizophrenic-during-his-last-days/ |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=Kashmir Observer |language=en-US}}</ref> He neglected his official duties and let the ministers do the paperwork. He also developed a [[persecution complex|persecution delusion]] as he abstained from the food given to him by his ministers, fearing a chance of being poisoned. Zayn al-Abidin died on his bed on 5 May 1470 and was buried in the Mazar-e-Salatin in Srinagar on 12 May. Kashmir fell into several days of mourning after the demise of the Budshah.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hasan |first=Mohibbul |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781032666709 |title=Kashmir Under the Sultans |date=2023-09-26 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-032-66670-9 |location=London |pages=79–80|doi=10.4324/9781032666709 }}</ref>

== Legacy ==
Zayn al-Abidin is acknowledged by scholars as a great ruler of Kashmir. Historian [[Mohibbul Hasan]] calls him the greatest of all the sultans of Kashmir, who provided half a century of "peace, prosperity and benevolent rule" to the people of Kashmir.{{sfnp|Hasan, Kashmir Under the Sultans|2005|p=71}}
{{quote|Of all the Sulṭāns who sat on the throne of Kashmīr, Zainu'l-Ābidīn was undoubtedly the greatest.|source=Kashmir Under the Sultans|author=Mohibbul Hassan}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{citation |first=Mohibbul |last=Hasan |title=Kashmir Under the Sultans |location=Delhi |publisher=Aakar Books |edition=Reprinted |year=2005 |orig-date=first published 1959 |page=78 |isbn=978-81-87879-49-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EUlwmXjE9DQC |ref={{sfnref|Hasan, Kashmir Under the Sultans|2005}}}}
* {{citation |last=Majumdar |first=A. K. |chapter=Chapter XIII, Part C: Kāshmir |editor1-last=Majumdar |editor1-first=R. C. |editor2-last=Pusalker |editor2-first=A. D. |editor3-last=Majumdar |editor3-first=A. K. |title=The Delhi Sultanate |edition=second |url=https://archive.org/details/delhisultanate00bhar |year=1967 |publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan }}

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[[Category:Sultans of Kashmir]]
[[Category:1395 births]]
[[Category:1470 deaths]]
[[Category:15th-century deaths]]
[[Category:15th-century Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:15th-century Indian people]]
[[Category:People with schizophrenia]]
[[Category:Shah Mir dynasty]]

Zayn al-Abidin the Great - Revision history

ClaudiaChilds56: added new article w/ refs