For the longest time historians suggested that the usage of military slaves was a condition unique to the thirteenth century ‘Turkish’ Sultanate regime. The evidence contradicts this conclusion; the deployment of military slaves continued well into the Lodi regime in the sixteenth century and beyond. Although historians find it easy to recall Qutb al-Din Ai-Beg, Iltutmish and Balban as examples of important and powerful slaves in the thirteenth century, we need to add to this list of significant examples of military slaves in the service of Delhi Sultans the eunuch Malik Kafur Hazar Dinari, the Khalaji general who led ‘Ala al-Din’s armies into the Deccan and managed court politics in Delhi at the end of his master’s reign; Khusraw Khan Barwari (r. 1320), the Khalaji slave commander who deposed his master, became Sultan of Delhi, and had cordial relations with the sufi Shaykh Nizam al-Din Auliya; the Tughluq slave ‘Imad al-Mulk Bashir Sultani who was Firuz Tughluq’s commander of armies; and Malik Sarwar Khwaja Jahan, a habshi eunuch and Firuz Tughluq’s commander, who went on to become Sultan of Jaunpur (1394-99) and founded the Sharqi dynasty (1394-1457). We also need to take into account the cadre of military personnel present during the period of Lodi (1451-1526) and Sur rule (1540-55), contingents that were described as khaṣṣa khayl.