Fathullah Shirazi


Fathullah Shirazi, sometimes referred to as Amir Fathullah Shirazi, was a Persian-Indian polymath—a scholar, Islamic jurist, finance minister, mechanical engineer, inventor, mathematician, astronomer, physician, philosopher and artist—who worked for Akbar, ruler of the Mughal Empire. He invented Gaj-I-illahi system. Shirazi was given the title of Azuddudaulah, translated as "the arm of the empire."

Biography

Amir Fathullah Shirazi was a polymath who worked as an imperial finance minister for Akbar. According to Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak's Akbarnama, when Shirazi died, Akbar mourned his death:

Inventions

Among the inventions credited to him was an early anti-infantry volley gun with multiple gun barrels similar to a hand cannon's.
Another cannon-related machine he created could clean sixteen gun barrels simultaneously, and was operated by a cow. He also developed a seventeen-barrelled cannon fired with a matchlock.
Not all of his creations were intended for warfare, however: he designed a carriage praised by Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak for its comfort. It could also be used to grind corn when not transporting passengers.