Ganj Ali Khan

Ganj Ali Khan (Persian: گنجعلیخان or گنج علی خان; died 1624) was a military officer in Safavid Iran, who served as governor in various provinces and was known for his loyal service to king (shah) Abbas I. Ganj Ali Khan continuously aided the shah on almost all of his military campaigns until his own death in 1624/5.

Ganj Ali Khan originally belonged to a Kurdish tribe roaming in western Iran, but was, as a minor, taken to Herat in Khorasan, where he grew up with prince Abbas I.

[1] In 1596, Abbas I, after having suppressed a rebellion in Kerman and putting an end to Qizilbash governorship of the place, appointed Ganj Ali Khan as its governor.

[3] In the mid 1600s, the Zoroastrian community of Kerman protested against the hostile treatment by the local Islamic clergy, and also accused Ganj Ali Khan of seizing and destroying their homes to make space for his construction projects.

[4] Ganj Ali Khan is mostly remembered for his building activities, such as the Zayn al-Din caravansary in Yazd, and the cistern in the Loot desert between Khorasan and Kerman.

Picture of the Ganjali Khan Complex , one of the many buildings that were made under Ganj Ali Khan.