Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah ( bn, ফখরুদ্দীন মুবারক শাহ, fa, ; reigned: 1338–1349), also known simply as Fakhra, was the founder of an independent

sultanate This article includes a list of successive Islamic states and Muslim dynasties beginning with the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE) and the early Muslim conquests that spread Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula, and cont ...

comprising modern-day eastern and southeastern

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. His kingdom was centred in the city of

Sonargaon Sonargaon ( bn, সোনারগাঁও; pronounced as ''Show-naar-gaa''; lit. ''Golden Hamlet'') is a historic city in central Bangladesh. It corresponds to the Sonargaon Upazila of Narayanganj District in Dhaka Division. Sonargaon is one ...

, which emerged as a principal superpower during his reign. He was also the first Muslim ruler to conquest

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in ...

, the principal port of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predo ...

region in 1340 AD.

Early life

According to some historians, Mubarak was born into a

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disag ...

family in a village located in the eastern part of

Noakhali Noakhali ( bn, নোয়াখালী, , New canal), historically known as Bhulua ( bn, ভুলুয়া), is a district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in the Chittagong Division. It was established as district in 1821, and officia ...

. Though the exact location of this village is uncertain, it is thought to be situated in the Kabirhat Upazila, with the highest probability being in that upazila's Chaprashirhat Union. He belonged to a Turkic tribe known as the ''Qaraunah''. Mubarak found employment as a ''silahdar'' (armour-bearer) under Bahram Khan, the governor of

appointed by Delhi's sultan

Muhammad bin Tughluq Muhammad bin Tughluq (1290 – 20 March 1351) was the eighteenth Sultan of Delhi. He reigned from February 1325 until his death in 1351. The sultan was the eldest son of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. In 1321, the yo ...

Reign

After the death of Bahram Khan in 737 AH (1336-1337 AD), Mubarak rose to power and declared himself as independent ruler from his proclaimed capital in

. After hearing of Mubarak's revolt against Delhi, the Governor of Lakhnauti Qadar Khan sent a large army to suppress him. Mubarak fled from the battlefield, and his assets were captured by Qadar Khan's forces and Sonargaon was seized. However, Mubarak managed to execute Qadar Khan and regain Sonargaon by luring Qadar Khan's army who had fallen into dissension regarding the sharing of the spoils. He then appointed his servant Mukhlis to administer Lakhnauti but Mukhlis was defeated by Qadar Khan's ''ariz'' (war minister)

Alauddin Ali Shah Alī Mubārak ( fa, علی مبارک), better known by his regnal title `Alā ad-Dīn `Alī Shāh ( bn, আলাউদ্দীন আলী শাহ, fa, علاء الدین علی شاه; r. 1338–1342) was an independent Sultan of Lak ...

.History Of The Qaraunah Turks In India, Ishwari Prasad
/ref> Mubarak's conquests of

Comilla Comilla (; bn, কুমিল্লা, Kumillā, ), officially spelled Cumilla, is the fifth largest city of Bangladesh and second largest in Chittagong division. It is the administrative centre of the Comilla District. The name Comilla wa ...

and

were followed by territorial gains to the north

Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate ...

and south

. His military initiatives included a successful naval action against Sultan

of Lakhnauti. Shah sponsored several construction projects, including a trunk road and raised embankments, along with mosques and tombs.

Ibn Batuta Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battutah (, ; 24 February 13041368/1369),; fully: ; Arabic: commonly known as Ibn Battuta, was a Berber Maghrebi scholar and explorer who travelled extensively in the lands of Afro-Eurasia, largely in the Muslim w ...

, after visiting his capital in 1346, described Shah as "a distinguished sovereign who loved strangers, particularly the fakirs and sufis." The Iqlim (administrative division) of Mubarakabad is said to have been named after him. Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah, who according to historian

Jadunath Sarkar Sir Jadunath Sarkar (10 December 1870 – 19 May 1958) was a prominent Indian historian and a specialist on the Mughal dynasty. Academic career Sarkar was born in Karachmaria village in Natore, Bengal to Rajkumar Sarkar, the local Zaminda ...

was most probably Fakhruddin's son, succeeded him and ruled the independent Sultanate from Sonargaon till 1352.

References

Year of birth missing 14th-century Indian Muslims Sultans of Bengal 1349 deaths People from Kabirhat Upazila 14th-century Bengalis People from Sonargaon Upazila {{Bangladesh-bio-stub