Ahmad bin Ayaz, Khwaja Jahan

(?-1351)

   He served as a superintendent of buildings toward the end of Ghiyas al-Din Tugh-laq's reign (1320-1325) and was accused by Ibn Battuta of engineering the collapse of a newly constructed building that caused Ghiyas al-Din Tughlaq's death in 1325. On Muhammad bin Tughlaq's accession in the same year, Ahmad bin Ayaz was promoted to the position of wazir. Ahmad bin Ayaz not only survived Muhammad bin Tughlaq's repressive policy toward nobles but also appears to have improved his position during the latter's reign (1325-1351). At the time of Muhammad bin Tughlaq's death in 1351, Ahmad bin Ayaz, then entitled Khwaja Jahan, was looking after the sultanate's ruling establishment at Delhi. During the brief tussle for succession that followed, he put up one of the deceased sultan's sons as the new king but was eventually outmaneuvered. After Firuz Shah Tughlaq's accession, Ahmad bin Ayaz was put to death.