The fearsome Kopek, a commander of a Mongol contingent, was brought to Delhi, defeated and humiliated. His captor, Sultan Alauddin’s eunuch slave, Malik Kafur.
Kafir
Legend has it that Malik Kafur or Taj al-Din Izz al-Dawla was a eunuch slave of such physical beauty that his original master paid thousand dinars for him. Hence, his title hazar-dinari. The epithet also finds mention in fabled historian Ibn-Batuta’s accounts, where he used al-Alfi (the Arabic word for Hazar dinari) to refer to Kafur. Modern historians are doubtful of the accuracy of this embellished tale and believe that the title might have been an ode to Kafur’s pulchritude. Nonetheless, it proves the timeless appreciation for his allure.
During the 1299 invasion of Gujrat, Alauddin’s general Nusrat Khan captured Kafur from the port city Khambhat and after converting him to Islam, presented him to the Sultan. This conversion gave him the name Kafur taken from the word ‘Kafir’ or Unbeliever.
Little is known about Kafur’s early days at the Sultan service, but it is no secret that Alauddin bore great appreciation for this particular slave.
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