Part of a series on the
Bengal Sultanate
Ruling dynasties Ilyas Shahi dynasty (1342–1414) Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah 1342-1358 Sikandar Shah 1358-1390 Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah 1390-1411 Saifuddin Hamza Shah 1411-1413 Muhammad bin Hamza Shah 1413 Shihabuddin Bayazid Shah 1413-1414 Alauddin Firuz Shah I 1414 House of Ganesha (1414–35) Raja Ganesha 1414-1415 Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah 1415-1416 Raja Ganesha 1416-1418 Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah 1418-1433 Shamsuddin Ahmad Shah 1433-1435 Restored Ilyas Shahi dynasty (1435–87) Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah 1435-1459 Ruknuddin Barbak Shah 1459-1474 Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah 1474-1481 Nuruddin Sikandar Shah 1481 Jalaluddin Fateh Shah 1481-1487 Habshi rule (1487–94) Shahzada Barbak 1487 Saifuddin Firuz Shah 1487-1489 Mahmud Shah II 1489-1490 Shamsuddin Muzaffar Shah 1490-1494 Hussain Shahi dynasty (1494–1538) Alauddin Hussain Shah 1494-1518 Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah 1518-1533 Alauddin Firuz Shah II 1533 Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah 1533-1538 Muhammad Shahi dynasty (1554–64) Shamsuddin Muhammad Shah 1554-1555 Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah I 1555-1561 Ghiyasuddin Jalal Shah 1561-1563 Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah II 1563-1564 Karrani dynasty (1564–76) Taj Khan Karrani 1564-1565 Sulaiman Khan Karrani 1565-1572 Bayazid Khan Karrani 1572 Daud Khan Karrani 1572-1576
Subdivisions Mint Towns: Pandua Sonargaon Gaur Khalifatabad Satgaon Chatgaon Tanda Fatehabad Hajo Cuttack Jaunpur Mrauk U Realms: Chandradwip Pratapgarh Rohang Srihat
Architecture Adina Mosque Sixty Dome Mosque Firoz Minar Choto Sona Mosque Baro Shona Masjid Bagha Mosque Pathrail Mosque Panbari Mosque Shankarpasha Mosque Goaldi Mosque Majidbaria Mosque Darasbari Mosque Eklakhi Mausoleum Muazzampur Mosque Qasba Mosque Kusumba Mosque Sura Mosque Nine Dome Mosque Jamaluddin Mosque Nasrat Gazi Mosque
Culture Literature Dobhashi Yusuf-Zulekha Persian influence Indo-Persian culture Persianate society Education Ghiyathiyyah Madrasah
Economy History of the taka
Warfare Ekdala (1353-1359) Jaunpur (1415-1420) Reconquest of Arakan (1429-1430) Kamata (1498) Mrauk U (1512–1516) Mughal invasion of Bengal Ghaghra (1529) Tukaroi (1575) Rajmahal (1576)
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Nāṣiruddīn Maḥmūd Shāh (Bengali: নাসিরউদ্দীন মাহমুদ শাহ, Persian: ناصر الدین محمد شاه; r. 1435–1459– ) was the first Sultan of Bengal belonging to the restored Ilyas Shahi dynasty. Formerly a farmer, he was selected as the next ruler of Bengal by the erstwhile nobility in 1435 CE, and ruled the country for over twenty years. During his peaceful reign, Bengal saw significant architectural development.^[3]

Early life and ascension

Mahmud was born in the 14th-century into an aristocratic Bengali Muslim Sunni family in the Bengal Sultanate. His forefathers – the Ilyas Shahis – were the inaugural dynasty of Bengal. Despite his family's long presence in the region, Mahmud's ancestors were of Sistani origin, hailing from what is now eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. Mahmud experienced the rule of the Ganesha dynasty that had usurped the throne of Bengal from Mahmud's relative Sultan Saifuddin Hamza Shah. According to contemporary historian Firishta, Mahmud was living a quiet life as a farmer in rural Bengal during this period.^[3]

The last ruler of the Ganesha dynasty, Sultan Shamsuddin Ahmad Shah, died in 1435-36 CE, without leaving any heirs. Firishta mentions one of the late Sultan's attendant, "Nasir ad-Din Ghulam", to have seized the throne after Ahmad's death. 18th-century historian Ghulam Husain Salim claims that Ahmad himself was killed by two of his attendants, Shadi Khan and Nasir Khan, who fought amongst themselves with Nasir Khan eventually taking control.^[4] Nevertheless, the nobles of Bengal deposed Khan within his short reign of either seven days, half a day or a few hours. After discovering Mahmud's royal ancestry, the nobles subsequently installed Mahmud to the throne.^[5]

Reign

During his reign, the Sharqi sultans of Jaunpur were involved in a deadly conflict with the Lodhi sultans of Delhi.^[6] This kept Nasiruddin Mahmud's kingdom in peace. He devoted his time to the task of reconstruction and development. He was also able to recover Bengal's military strength. According to historians Nizamuddin Ahmad and Firishtah, Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah was an ideal sultan. Another historian Ghulam Husain Salim says that by his good administration the wounds of oppression inflicted by the previous Sultan Shamsuddin Ahmad Shah were healed.^[6] Nasiruddin died in 1459 AD after a reign of twenty four years.^{[citation needed]}

Ruling area

During his reign, Khan Jahan Ali conquered Khulna and Jessore. According to numismatic evidence, Nasiruddin Mahmud ruled over a vast kingdom bounded by the districts of Bhagalpur to the west, Mymensingh and Sylhet to the east, Gaur and Pandua to the north and Hughli to the south.^[6]

Spreading Islam

With the help of Khan Jahan Ali, Nasirudddin Mahmud made progress on Muslim settlements in different parts of Bengal. They constructed mosques, khanqas, tombs, and bridges, and excavated tanks. The significant mosques of his reign were the following :

• Sixty Dome Mosque (Bengali: ষাট গম্বুজ মসজিদ) erected by Khan Jahan at Bagerhat.
• The two mosques built by Sarfaraz Khan at Jangipur in the district of Murshidabad in 1443 AD.
• The mosque built by Hilali at Gaur in 1455.
• The mosque built at Dhaka by a woman named Bakht Binat Bibi in 1455 known as Binat Bibi Mosque.
• The mosque built by Khurshid Khan at Bhagalpur in 1446 AD.^[6]

The tomb of Khan Jahan Ali at Bagerhat and the tomb of an Allama at Hazrat Pandua were erected during his time. He himself laid the foundations of the citadel and palace at Gaur. Among them, a five-arched stone-bridge, part of the massive walls of the fort and the Kotwali Darwaza are still extant.^[6]