Mirza Zulqarnain

Mirza Zulqarnain or Mirza Zul-Qarnain (c. 1594 – c. 1656) was a diwan and faujdar of Armenian descent in the court of the Mughal Empire.

He was brought up in the royal harem and, after being appointed to official posts, spent most of his career in Sambhar where he administered the lucrative salt pans there. He also served as governor in other parts of the empire. He was a noted poet and composer of Urdu songs.

Early life and family Akbar receiving the Jesuit missionaries (in black) Rodolfo Acquaviva and Francisco Henriques at the Ibadat Khana (House of Worship) in Fatehpur Sikri. Miniature by Nar Singh from the Akbarnama, c. 1592–94. Mirza Zulqarnain was born around 1594, (He was about 19 at the time of his father's death in 1613 according to Husain.) was a doctor in Akbar's seraglio and the daughter of the Armenian chief justice Abdul Hai. She was given to Sikandar by Akbar. Zulqarnain was brought up in the royal harem with one of his brothers until the age of 12 and thus got to know the royal children of the court including Prince Khurram

Around 1590, he married Helen, for which a special dispensation was obtained from the Pope.

Career

Zulqarnain spent most of his career in Sambhar where he was a diwan of the salt pans, a prestigious and lucrative post involving financial administration that had also been held by his father. He was also faujdar (provincial administrator or governor) there and faujdar of Bahraich from 1629 to 1633. In 1632 he presented five elephants to the Mughal Court as nazr. He then briefly served as the kiladar of Bharuch.

Christianity Although Jahangir had Zulqarnain and his brother forcibly converted to Islam upon succeeding to the throne, this appears to have been purely formal, as Zulqarnain lived his life as a Catholic. The 17th-century merchant Peter Mundy referred to Zulqarnain as the "chiefest" Christian of the Mughal Empire. He made donations to the church, helped in the compilation of chronicles, and retained his faith throughout his life as described by the 17th-century traveller Jean-Baptiste Tavernier: "The Armenian had been brought up with Shah Jahan, and as he was very clever and an excellent poet he was high in the good graces of the Emperor, who had given him valuable governorships, but had never been able, either by promises or threats to induce him to become a Mussulman [Muslim]." and the "Pillar of Christianity in India". His father had left money in his will for the establishment of a "cemetery for the deceased Christians of Lahore" but no trace of Zulqarnain's interment has been found. He is included in the list of Mughal nobles for 1657 and 1658, raising doubt about the exact year of his death.