In 1869 he moved to Manchester, which was one of the world’s biggest centers of drapery production. He supplied drapery from Manchester to his father. This period of his life in Manchester played a big role in forming his character, as well as getting acquainted with the business traditions of Europe. Mantashov spoke French, German and English.
In 1872 Mantashov returned to Tbilisi with his father. At first they founded a drapery shop on the ground floor of “Caucasus” hotel not far from the “Yerevan” square. Later they founded one more shop and made drapery whole trade. After his father died in 1887, Mantashov bought most of the stocks of the Tbilisi trade bank and became the main shareholder. This bank played a key role in the trade business of Caucasus. Later Mantashov became head of the administrative board of the bank. By the way, “Timkom” bank was the only one in Caucasus, with stocks that were of high value in the stock market of Saint Petersburg. At the beginning of 90s Mantashov was already a success in business and a member of the Tbilisi city council. This was the period when he started getting interested in oil business. He knew that the oil production development of Baku was very prosperous and decided to enter that field.
This period was the period of formation of the world oil production. Oil brought much profit to the people involved in that business. In order to get good money they had to make only investments and manage them effectively. This is what Mantashov decided to do. His chief-accountant was responsible for all documents, which were considered invalid without their stamp written “Astcov” on it (God Bless).
Mantashov was not afraid of taking risks. The oil-wells Mantashov had bought with Michael Aramyants were not profitable, but very soon they started to get good profit. Later Mantashov built oil elevators and other producing facilities too. The barrel producing company and oil-well of those times, mechanical workshop in Zavrat, oil container station and 100 wagon containers in Odessa, which supplied the South-Eastern regions of Russia, belonged to Alexander Mantashov. Later Mantashov bought three tankers in England to transport oil to China, India, Japan and other countries.
In 1899, Mantashov founded “Al. Manrashov & Co” Trade Company, which had big representations and branches in the biggest cities of Europe and Asia: Smirney, Salonic, K.Pols, Cairo, Port Said, Damascus, London, Bombay and Shanghai. Then Mantashov became a shareholder of different world famous oil companies, one of which was “Nobel Brothers” company. His company controlled 51,3% of the whole oil capacity and 66,8% of the Caspian Sea oil capacity. In 1904, only the “Nobel Brothers” and “Caspian Black Sea Company”, belonging to the Rothschild brothers, had bigger capacities of export than the oil of Baku.
Once Mantashov was traveling from Vienna to Paris by train. The person sitting next to him did not speak. Mantashov was trying to talk to him, but still that person was keeping silence. As soon as Mantashov started to speak about the oil production of Baku, the person sitting next to him started speaking unexpectedly. During their conversation this person asked several questions relating to the field of oil production and by chance said that the only person he had heard from that region was Alexander Mantashov. Mantashov smiled and presented himself. Later this person did not talk any more and continued silent again. Several days later Mantashov received an invitation from the billionaire Rothschild to take part in a secular party he had organized. After getting this invitation Mantashov understood who the person sitting next to him in the train was.
In 1907, Mantashov provided financial support to build a gas pipeline from Baku to Batumi and built the first pipeline 835 kilometers long; he was given a title of “Oil King”. In 1899-1909, the capital of his company was the biggest one in the Russian production (22 million rubles).
It is said that before digging a hole, Mantashov went to check the territories himself. He knew that good oil-wells could be unexpectedly finished and accordingly the ones that were not profitable might have fountains of oil. He used to go to those territories accompanied by specialists, checked the place, asked questions to them and even smelled the ground. He used to also check the neighboring territories and sometimes unexpectedly stopped somewhere and told the specialists where to dig. No one could understand how he made his decisions where to dig. However, he always made a successful choice because the places he chose to dig were always were full of oil.
One of the well known writers of modern Armenian classical literature Alexander Shirvanzade wrote about Mantashov, “His huge financial property was not the one to make him make charity, the one to do that was his kind heart. He made charity not for the purpose to satisfy his ambitions, but because this was the nature of his soul. This was Christian charity. The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is giving”.
Along with twelve people Mantashov founded a charity organization named “Caucasian Armenian charity union” in Tbilisi. He gave 300,000 rubles to build the “Nersisyan” religious school. In 1910 he gave 250,000 rubles to build a residence for the whole Armenian Christian Church patriarch in Echmiadzin (the construction was finished in 1914).
Mantashov provided financial support for over fifty Armenian students to study at the best universities of Europe. Most of these students enriched our culture and literature, one of which was the founder of the Armenian classic music, Komitas.
One of the most famous charities of Mantashov is the Armenian Church named after Saint Hovhannes Mkrtich located on Jan Gujon street of Paris. When people asked him why he had given so much money to build a Church in Paris, he said, “This is where I have the most sins”. This is the most beautiful Armenian Church in the Armenian Diaspora. In 1904 Mantashov spent 1.540 thousand franks to build that Church and gave it to the people. For this charity the president of France gave a “Medal of Honor” to Mantashov.
Mantashov didn’t like to show everyone what he had and lived like normal people did. He didn’t like gold and didn’t have any golden things on him. The only thing he had with him was a natural flower in the pocket of his suit. He didn’t even have a cab and traveled in Tbilisi either by tram or walked.
It is said that when going for a walk he used to take twenty golden coins with him (equal to five rubles). Each time when he was passing near the Realistic college of Tbilisi he approached needy children, held their hands and said, “How is your father doing? Tell him I say hello”. Actually, by saying this sentence Mantashov put golden coins into the pockets of children without letting others see that. He was a very friendly man and had a good sense of humor. Once when he was paying his hairdresser, the hairdresser said, “Your son usually pays me twice more”, to which Mantashov answered, “He is Mantashov’s son, but who am I?”
His hobby was visiting theatres. Mantashov provided financial aid to build the building of “Pitoevyan theatre”, which is now named after Shota Rustaveli. He had a separate gallery in the “National Academy de Musiqe” of Paris. Mantashov wanted to build such a theatre in Yerevan too, but he couldn’t… The small hall of the Armenian philharmonic house is Mantashov’s present to us.
Alexandr Mantashov died on April 19, 1911, in Saint Petersburg. In five days his body was taken to Tbilisi. He was buried next to his wife, in the mausoleum of the Vienna temple, one of the main churches which had been constructed with his financial aid.