Consider the following statements about the Zawar mines :
1. Zinc was present, mixed with ores of copper, lead and silver.
2. By the 14th century, zinc began to be isolated by the distillation method.
3. Abul Fazl described zinc as a newly discovered metal unknown to the ancients.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

The Zawar mines in Rajasthan are historically significant as the world's first site for industrial-scale zinc production. Statement 1 is correct: The ores at Zawar are polymetallic, primarily consisting of zinc (sphalerite) and lead (galena), with significant traces of silver and copper (chalcopyrite). Statement 2 is correct: While mining dates back to ancient times, the sophisticated downward distillation process to isolate metallic zinc reached an industrial scale by the 14th century. This was a major technological feat because zinc vaporizes at a temperature lower than what is required to reduce its ore. Statement 3 is correct: In the Ain-i-Akbari, the Mughal chronicler Abul Fazl describes zinc (referred to as 'Jast') and notes that it was a metal not mentioned in the scientific works of the 'ancients' (classical Greek or early Islamic scholars), highlighting the unique nature of Indian metallurgical knowledge at the time.