Who is Dhul Quarnayn?

[Ricardo Horta]

I-¦d like to know if Alexander really is Dhul Quarnayn.
I once read that opinions are divided.Some say he is Dhul Quarnayn.Others say Cyrus, the great was Dhul Quarnayn........

[nick]

Wouldn't we all like to know? The issue is never to be solved; it is more a question what you like to believe, than a question that can be answered in a scientific way.Please note that apart from Dhul-Qarnain mentioned in the Koran, some regional or cultural zones have their "Zhulkarnain"/"Zulkarnain" variants as well. In Yemen (and probably parts of Ethiopia) there is or was a legend about Zhulkarnain: the great ruler that came from abroad and introduced the famous local drug "qat" to the region. Now, historically, this Zhulkarnain can never have been identical to Alexander - unless the legend of Alexander travelled to the extreme south of Arabia and adopted other elements of folklore ("qat") along the way. (I would think it's quite funny to picture Alexander as an addicted qat chewer; far more healthy than excessive drinking; he might have lived to old age.)Conclusion:
- Who Dhulqarnain is can never be answered with certainty;
- There are more Zhulkarnains that can not be identical with Alexander (or Cyrus for that matter).Best regards -
Nick

[susan]

Dhulqarnein is often associated in Islamic tradition with Al-Khidr, the Green Man. You might like to look at the pages:
http://khidr.org/dhulqarnein.htm
and also at the rest of the Khidr site.RegardsSusan

[qadir]

hi
dhul qarnain is indeed alexander the great
no one else
he comes in the holy quran as such
and let me tell u alexander did nnot die
but like jesus was taken up by god
and alexander will come again
and conquer the world