The King of the Caucasus (in Russian)

Alexander Mantashyants, oil magnate and philanthropist, with whom reckoned the powerful men of the time: Baron Edmond de Rothschild, Alfred Nobel, Calouste Gulbenkian, and others.

The book is about the life and work of one of the richest and happiest men of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, oil and financial magnate, father of a large family, benefactor Alexander Mantashyants. Having played an invaluable role in the development of the oil industry in the Russian Empire, he was also known for his pro-Armenian activities. The topic is presented by merging documentary and fiction genres, which makes reading more interesting.

The beginning of the 20th century was difficult and chaotic for Armenians. On the one hand, the endless trials and struggle for survival that would have had a bad ending at the beginning of the same century, and on the other hand, many Armenians, who, having paved their way with difficulty through long years, had reached their peak both financially and intellectually at the turn of the century. The characters of this book are from such a controversial era, and it was Alexander Mantashyants, the King of the Caucasus, who was able to unite them around him on an ideological and business basis. To be a king in a place and at a time when the highest title is the vicegerent of the empire is almost impossible. But not for Mantashyants... Because the guarantee of his victory was not money or personal happiness but using that very money to serve his nation, noble ideas and purposes.