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Mughal Zinc Distillation Technology

Type Object Region South Asia Time 1640–1700

In the mid-17th century, the Mughal Empire developed a large-scale shaft-furnace distillation process for zinc smelting at the Zawar mining district …

Timeline

  1. c. 1640–1650Zawar zinc smelting site · RajasthanCraftsmen reduced roasted zinc ore with charcoal in sloped brick shaft furnaces; zinc vapor was channeled through conduits into condensation chambers below, solidifying into metal ingots, forming a large-scale production process capable of continuous operation.
  2. c. 1645–1680Western Mughal mining districts · RajasthanZinc ingots were incorporated into the imperial mining tax and trade networks, some shipped via ports to Persia and Southeast Asia; the travel accounts of European merchants and envoys recorded the scale of Indian zinc production and the uniqueness of its process.

Sources