Manuc Bei

Emmanuel Mîrzaian, better known under his Turkish name Manuc Bei was a wealthy Armenian merchant and diplomat in the period of the Ottoman Empire.

Manuc Bei was born in Rusciuc, today Ruse in Bulgaria and from an early age he distinguished himself as intelligent and diligent boy. He knew 12 languages and accumulated considerable wealth in grain trade. His exceptional skills opened him the way to public services and he served as interpreter and financier of the Ottoman court. In 1812 Manuc Bei demonstrated his diplomatic skills during the negotiations between the Russian and Ottoman Empire which resulted with the Treaty of Bucharest. Toward the end of his life, Manuc Bei retired with his family to his estate in Hînceşti where he improved industrial, commercial and cultural life and built schools and hospitals. In 1808 Manuc Bei built in Bucharest enormous, three-level Hanul lui Manuc (Manuc's Inn) which is considered one of Europe's last remaining caravanserai.