Mir Syed Ali bin Shahab-ud-Din Hamadani (1314) was a Persian Sūfī of the Kubrāwī order, a poet and a prominent Muslim scholar. He was born on Monday, 12th Rajab 714 AH (1314 A.C) in Hamadan and died in 786 AH /1384 in Kunar and was buried in Khatlan. He was very influential in spreading Islam in Kashmir and has had a major hand in shaping the culture of the Kashmir valley. He was also known as “Shāh Hamadhān” (“King of Hamadhān”, Iran) and as Amīr-i Kabīr (“the Great Commander”). He wrote several short works on spirituality and Sufism. He was immortalised by poets like Allama Iqbal. His name was Ali, and titles were Amir-e-Kabir, Ali Sa’ani, Shah-e-Hamadan and Mir. Shah-e-Hamadan has been on the principal historical figures who have shaped the culture of Kashmir. His influence on arts and culture and the economy of the valley cannot be overstated. Among the seven hundred followers who accompanied him to Kashmir, were men of arts and crafts who flourished in the valley. They popularized Shawl-making, carpet-manufacturing, cloth-weaving, pottery and calligraphy. Allama Iqbal admits that because of Shah Hamadan the wonderful arts and crafts turned Kashmir into a mini Iran and brought about a revolution in the thinking process of the people
