He soon established himself as a patron of the arts, inviting many poets and men of letters to join his provincial residence at Nahavand, including the court historian Mohammad Taqi "Lesan ol-Molk" Sepehr.

Mahmud Mirza also ordered the construction of majestic buildings in Nahavand, amongst them the Ru'in-dez fortress, the Kakh-e Homayun palace, a madraseh for his son Siyavash Mirza, and a garden known as the Bagh-e Shah; however, only a minimal traces of these buildings have survived to this day.

[1] Mahmud Mirza also promoted scholarly works, himself writing over twenty works ranging in topic from historical to literary to religious, including two essential anthologies (tazkerehs) of poetry by his father, his own sons, and other contemporary male Qajar poets.

In the introduction of the Noql-e Majles, Mahmud Mirza writes that the book was at the request of his sister Zia ol-Saltaneh.

[1] Mahmud Mirza's chief wife (galin), the daughter of Mohammad Khan Qajar Iravani, was selected for him by his father Fath-Ali Shah.