| Quṭb ud-Dīn Aibak | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Grave of Qutb ud-Din Aibak, in Anarkali Bazaar in Lahore | |||||
| Sultan of Delhi and Lahore | |||||
| Reign | 25 June 1206 – 14 November 1210 | ||||
| Coronation | 25 June 1206, Qasr-e-Humayun, Lahore | ||||
| Predecessor | Muhammad of Ghor (as Ghurid Sultan) | ||||
| Successor | Aram Shah | ||||
| Born | 1150 Turkestan | ||||
| Died | 14 November 1210 (aged 60) Lahore, Delhi Sultanate (present-day Pakistan) | ||||
| Burial | |||||
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Qutb ud-Din Aibak (Persian: قطبالدین ایبک; 1150 – 14 November 1210) was a Turkic general of the Ghurid emperor Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad Ghori. He was in charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India, and after Muhammad Ghori's assassination in 1206, he established his own independent rule in Lahore, and laid the foundations for the Sultanate of Delhi.
A native of Turkestan, Aibak was sold into slavery as a child. He was purchased by a Qazi at Nishapur in Persia, where he learned archery and horse-riding among other skills. He was subsequently resold to Muhammad Ghori in Ghazni, where he rose to the position of the officer of the royal stables. During the Khwarazmian-Ghurid wars, he was captured by the scouts of Sultan Shah; after the Ghurid victory, he was released and highly favoured by Muhammad Ghori.
After the Ghurid victory in the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192, Muhammad Ghori made Aibak in charge of his Indian territories. Aibak expanded the Ghurid power in northern India by conquering and raiding several places in the Chahamana, Gahadavala, Chaulukya, Chandela, and other kingdoms.
After the assassination of Muhammad Ghori in March 1206, Aibak fought with another former slave-general Taj al-Din Yildiz for control of Ghurid territories in north-western India. During this campaign, he advanced as far as Ghazni, although he later retreated and set up his capital at Lahore. He nominally acknowledged the suzerainty of Muhammad Ghori's successor Ghiyasuddin Mahmud, who officially recognized him as the ruler of India.
Aibak was succeeded by Aram Shah, and then by his former slave and son-in-law Iltutmish, who transformed the loosely-held Ghurid territories of India into the powerful Delhi Sultanate. Aibak is known for having commissioned the Qutb Minar in Delhi, and the Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra in Ajmer.