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Azerbaijani website Kultura.az referred to the personality of philosopher and diplomat Mirza Melik, who was an Armenian friend of Azerbaijani writer and educator Mirza Fatali Akhundov. It is noteworthy that the Azerbaijani website emphasizes the fact that in the late 19th century the Armenian helped Akhundov to reform the alphabet for the Muslim population of nowadays Azerbaijan.

“Save all my letters addressed to you in a separate place. Our letters after our death will become a rare historical document for our offspring,” Akhundov wrote to his Armenian friend.

Mirza Melkum khan’s biography is quite an interesting one. His father Hakob was born to an Armenian family in Julfa. He spent his youth in Europe studying French and Russian languages. Later he was islamicized; however certain information about the circumstances of his islamization is not available. Melkum khan was born in 1833 and in the age of 10 was sent to France to stay with relatives. There he studied in an Armenian school, after which at Polytechnic University.

After Melkum khan returned to Iran, he started to work as a diplomat. In 1864, while living in Istanbul he got married with the daughter of wealthy local Armenian Arakel Topchubashi, Henrieta. It is noteworthy that the wedding took place in a local Armenian church.

In 1872 Melkum khan was appointed ambassador of Iran to Great Britain. The fact made Akhundov displeased, “He was the only writer-philosopher in Iran and unfortunately, not realizing his value they walled him up in London,” Ahkundov complained in his letters addressed to the father of Melkum khan.

In the course of the reform of Arabic alphabet for the Muslim population of Azerbaijan, Akhundov frequently consulted the Armenian philosopher, “We, together, by promoting the change of alphabet, have completed our duty before the mankind as well as cultural development. Our name will live forever in the history and the coming generations will refer to us with pride and respect,” Akhundov wrote to Melkum.

Note that Melkum khan wrote two important works in Persian touching on the problem of alphabet: “Sheikh and vezir” and “Beginning of development”. In Baku both books were published in Turkish in 1905 and 1907, but the alphabet used was Arabic one.

Another Azerbaijani writer educator of the time Jalil Mammadguluzadeh in one of his works paraphrased the words of Melkum khan: “I say a word to those, who are humans” and interpreted them as follows: “I say a word to those, who have ears.”