Malik Ambar

Malik Ambar (* 1549 in the Sultanate of Adal east of Harar, Ethiopia, † 1626 ) was Peshwa ( chief minister ) of Ahmednagar, a sultanate in present-day state of Maharashtra in India. He had two sons Fatteh Khan and Changiz Khan. Fatteh Khan succeeded his father as regent of Ahmadnagar.

Life

As a child he was sold by his parents from necessity into slavery. About the Yemen, Damascus and Mecca, he reached with Arab slave traders to India, where he came in 1570 in the possession of Chengiz Khan, the Peshwa of Ahmadnagar. Chengiz Khan, himself a man of Ethiopia ( known in India Siddi or Habshi, see also Habesha ), became the teacher of Malik Ambar. After the death of Khan Chengiz he was released from his widow.

Malik Ambar was able to set up a small independent force of 1,500 men who offered themselves as mercenaries in the Deccan local rulers. He supported the regent Chand Bibi in defending Ahmednagar against attacks by the Mughals.

Finally, he served the Nizam Shahi dynasty in the Sultanate of Ahmednagar extremely successful as Peshwa and presented in this function its diverse political and administrative skills. As a military leader he succeeded, with guerrilla tactics he had developed and successfully began to limit the power of the dominant Mughals and the competing state Bijapur and thus push out the demise of the Nizam of Ahmadnagar. He was a military genius and offered both the overpowering North Indian Mughal emperor Akbar and his son Jahangir always successfully stand up. His right hand was the Marathenführer Maloji, a grandfather of the greatest princes of the Marathas Shivaji. Another military leader at his side was Shahji Bhonsle, who coached the Marathas mobile units. Malik Ambar supported Shah Jahan, Akbar's grandson, going to prevail Nur Jahan in Delhi against its ambitious stepmother.

Malik Ambar founded the city Kirki, later renamed Aurangabad. The Town of Kirki he named after great Marathenführern as Malpura, Khelpura, Vithapura, Mariuseva etc. He put on a brilliant irrigation system, and was a successful administrator. Malik Ambar was also at sea successfully, appointed one of his numerous followers Ethiopian Admiral, and thus established the rule of the Nawab - Siddis in Murud- Janjira coastal State. He had early contact with the British, who - from Janjira to drive showed strong interest from trade - unsuccessfully.

Of the Siddi, living in India (descendants of ) Ethiopians, he is revered. A poet compared him with Bilal al - Habashi, the - was companion and source of inspiration of the prophet Mohammed - Black Africans as Malik Ambar. The poet wrote: