About

In the early 2000s, Mir Ashfaq Ali Khan possessed an unusual passion. He spent the majority of his free time on horseback, chasing a ball from one end of the polo field to the other at Bison Polo Grounds. It is not surprising that Mir Ashfaq exhibits a great love for sports and a drive to achieve excellence in polo. His father, the late Nawab Mir Hyder Ali Khan, a black belt holder in Karate and former Chairman of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP), was an ardent sports enthusiast. During his tenure as Chairman of SAAP, Mir Hyder Ali Khan worked diligently for the development of sports in unified Andhra Pradesh and played a pivotal role in bringing the National Games to Hyderabad.

As a descendant of the erstwhile ruling family of Banganapalle State, renowned for its mangoes, the late Mir Hyder Ali Khan carried out his duties with grace and dignity. His time as SAAP Chairman left a lasting impact. Unlike previous political appointees who merely occupied the position, Mir Hyder Ali Khan actively contributed.

Mir Ashfaq's deep commitment to polo began in 1998 when he took up the sport with great enthusiasm. The following year, he participated in his first season on the national circuit. He also represented the state in the Equestrian Tent-pegging event at the 32nd National Games in 2002. He was a member of the 1st Afro-Asian Games Sub-Committee in 2003 and participated in Air-Rifle Shooting at the Sub-Nationals in 2010.

Ashfaq developed an interest in Architecture and Interior Design at a young age. He spent time with his maternal grandfather, the late Nawab Mir Taqui Ali Khan, an art and architecture enthusiast known as the "King of Antiques" until his death in 2003. It was Taqui Nawabs dream that his grandson would earn a degree in Architecture. Ashfaq participated in painting and drawing competitions at school and spent time at various construction sites with his father from childhood. He enrolled in Architecture at CSIIT School of Architecture in 1999. In his second year of the B.Arch program, he experienced academic difficulties, lost focus, took a semester break, and travelled to America. After working at Ar. Kishore Joshi’s office in Freehold, New Jersey, he decided to return to India and complete his education.

He excelled and completed his B.Arch with honours. He chose "US Consulate in Hyderabad" as his B.Arch thesis project, a live project initially rejected by all his professors, including the Director of CSIIT. His thesis guide, was the only one who supported him. Through his hard work, enthusiasm, and determination, Ashfaq topped the state in his thesis and was selected for the National Thesis Design Competition. Ashfaq acknowledges the contributions of the entire CSIIT team in his development as an Architect.

Internship at the Centre for Design Excellence in Bangalore and as a Junior Architect at Aslam Associates in Hyderabad provided a strong foundation. He was selected to work at GHD, an Australian firm in Qatar, as a Junior Architect in the Concept Design Team. He worked directly under Ar. Pre de Fonsika, an associate of Sri Lankan Architect Geoffrey Bawa, on projects such as Doha International Airport, Lusail Tower, Taj Exotica Golf Resort, and numerous mixed-use development projects in the Middle East. Upon returning to India, he joined SWBI Architects as Resident Architect on the Taj Vivanta Hyderabad project and later moved to DoubleTree and Hampton by Hilton Hyderabad as Project Architect.

He completed a two-year Master's in Architecture program while working, with his thesis focusing on "Business Jet Interiors."

Education holds significant importance in his family. His great-grandfather, Barrister Nawab Mir Ahmed Ali Khan, was the Principal of the College of Education and the first Dean of Osmania University, Hyderabad. Nawab Ahmed Ali Khan was the son of Barrister Hon’ble Nawab Mir Asad Ali Khan Bahadur of Banganapalle State, who served as an MLA, MLC, and Member of the Imperial Legislative Council (MP) of the Madras Presidency. He was also appointed as the Governor of West Bengal and was a member of All Indian Muslim League.

Ashfaq’s paternal grandfather, Nawab Mir Mushtaq Ali Khan, was a strong pillar of support for the entire family and backed him at every stage of his career until his death in 2012. Mushtaq Nawab was a lawyer, landlord, and had strong political connections from Rayalaseema to New Delhi. He was a board member (Steward) of Hyderabad Race Club for nine years, two years elected and seven years nominated by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Ashfaq’s first independent consultancy project was the renovation of a penthouse in Hyderabad for a close associate from Doha. He believes, "Opportunities never return." He resigned from his stable job and completed the penthouse project in Hyderabad as a turnkey project within ten months in 2012.

Ashfaq has worked diligently to establish his firm and has succeeded despite facing challenges early in his professional life. He named his firm "Mir Architects" after the passing of his father, Nawab Mir Hyder Ali Khan, in 2016.

He was once offered the position of Design Architect, representing Mumbai-based Architect Hafeez Contractor, on the Andhra Pradesh High Court and Secretariat projects in Amaravati. Ashfaq declined the offer to focus on establishing his own firm, "Mir Architects."

After working on various architecture and interior design projects in India and abroad, Architect Mir Ashfaq Ali Khan was awarded the Emerging Architect of the Year Award in 2019 in the Residential and Hospitality category. On July 17, 2019, at the 4th Global Smart Built Summit 2019, Mir received the Time to Leap Award, along with other leading architects in the country, at a grand award ceremony in Hyatt Pune. This prestigious national award acknowledges outstanding talent and promise in the field of architecture.

In 2021, he was awarded as one of the Top Ten Most Prominent Architects of India, an esteemed recognition highlighting his significant contributions to architectural design. His firm, Mir Architects, was awarded Leading and Most Creative Architecture Firm in 2022. The award was presented to Mir Architects at the Architecture & Excellence Award Conference in Bangalore, India.

Recently, Ar. Mir Ashfaq Ali Khan has partnered "Mir Architects" with architecture firms from Singapore and Malaysia to work on various large-scale projects in India and abroad.