Mehr Dil Khan

Mehr Dil Khan
Mehr Dil Khan
مهردل خان
	A portrait of Mehr Dil Khan c. 1855
Governor of the Northern Frontier
	In office; 9 August 1826 – 8 May 1839
Monarch	Kohan Dil Khan
	In office; 9 August 1842 – 16 March 1855
Monarch	Kohan Dil Khan
Foreign Minister of the Durrani Empire
	In office; 3 May 1809 – September 1818
Monarch	Mahmud Shah Durrani
Prime Minister	Fateh Ali Khan
Personal details
Born	1796; Kandahar, Durrani Empire
Died	16 March 1855 (aged 58–59); Kandahar, Principality of Kandahar
Spouse	6 wives a Nurzai lady; a Barakzai lady; a second Barakzai lady; an Ishaqzai lady; a Popalzai lady; a Babar lady;
Children	10 sons and 3 daughters Sultan Jan; Khush Dil Khan; Ali Akbar Khan; Ali Asghar Khan; Sher Muhammad Khan; Mohammad Husain Khan; Sher Ali Khan; Hajji Munawar Dil Khan; Sultan Mohammad Khan; Gul Mohammad Khan; Murwarid Begum; Two unknown daughters;
Parent(s)	Payandah Khan; An Idu Khel Hotak lady

Mehr Dil Khan Mohammadzai, (1796 – 16 March 1855) also known by his pen name as Mashriqi, was the governor of the Northern Frontier bordering the Ghilji tribes' domains of the Hotak and Tokhi tribes during the reigns of Pur Dil Khan and Kohan Dil Khan until his death in 1855.

Early life

Mehr Dil was born in Kandahar into a Mohammadzai family, to his father Payandah Khan and to an Idu Khel Hotak lady, alongside his full-brothers, also known as the 'Dil Brothers': Sher Dil Khan, Pur Dil Khan, Rahim Dil Khan and Rahim Dil Khan.

Rise to power

Following the overthrow of Shuja Shah Durrani in 1809, Mehr Dil became the foreign minister of the Durrani Empire during the restored reign of Mahmud Shah Durrani, while his brothers were appointed as the governors of different major cities respectively.

The Dil Brothers established their own domain in Kandahar, and later expanded. Mehr Dil was appointed as the governor of the Northern Frontier, following government improvements.

Descendants

Some of his descendants live in Europe and the USA. The spellings of the names vary slightly .

Notes

↑
- Pashto: مهردل خان, romanized: Mehrdil Xān [meɾ d̪il xɑn, mehɾ d̪il xɑn]
- Persian: مهردل خان, romanized: Mehrdil Khān [meːɾ d̪ɪl xɑːn, me̞ɦɾ d̪ɪl xɑːn]
↑ Persian: مشرقی, romanized: Mashriqī [mäʃ.ɾɪ.qíː], lit. 'Oriental'

References

↑ Lee, Jonathan L. (2018). Afghanistan: A History from 1260 to the Present. Reaktion Books. ISBN 9781789140101.
↑ Dalrymple, William (2013). Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9780307958297.

[1] 
Pashto: مهردل خان, romanized: Mehrdil Xān [meɾ d̪il xɑn, mehɾ d̪il xɑn]
Persian: مهردل خان, romanized: Mehrdil Khān [meːɾ d̪ɪl xɑːn, me̞ɦɾ d̪ɪl xɑːn]

[mwPw] Pashto: مهردل خان, romanized: Mehrdil Xān [meɾ d̪il xɑn, mehɾ d̪il xɑn]

[mwUg] Persian: مهردل خان, romanized: Mehrdil Khān [meːɾ d̪ɪl xɑːn, me̞ɦɾ d̪ɪl xɑːn]

[2] Persian: مشرقی, romanized: Mashriqī [mäʃ.ɾɪ.qíː], lit. 'Oriental'

[Lee-3] Lee, Jonathan L. (2018). Afghanistan: A History from 1260 to the Present. Reaktion Books. ISBN 9781789140101.

[:0-4] Dalrymple, William (2013). Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9780307958297.