The Koh-i-Noor is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing 105.6 carats (21.12 grams). It is currently set in the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
There are many different stories about where the diamond came from. Some Victorian writers believed it came from the Kollur Mine in India. Theo Metcalfe, a colonial administrator, said there is very little clear information about the diamond’s early history before the 1740s. No records show its original weight, but the earliest known weight was 186 old carats (191 metric carats or 38.2 grams). The first confirmed record of the diamond appears in a history written by Muhammad Kazim Marvi, describing the 1740s invasion of Northern India by Afsharid Iran under Nader Shah. Marvi noted the Koh-i-Noor as one of many stones taken from the Mughal Peacock Throne in Delhi.
The diamond changed ownership many times among empires in South and West Asia. It was given to Queen Victoria after the Second Anglo-Sikh War and the British East India Company’s control of the Punjab in 1849. At that time, the Sikh Empire’s young ruler, Duleep Singh, was 11 years old. He ruled under the influence of Gulab Singh, a British ally who later became the first Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir and had previously owned the stone.
In 1851, the diamond was shown at the Great Exhibition in London, but its design did not impress viewers. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, ordered it to be re-cut as an oval brilliant by Coster Diamonds. Today, the diamond’s culet (the bottom point of a gemstone) is unusually large, making it look like a black hole when viewed directly. However, gemologists still describe it as "full of life."
Since arriving in the UK, the diamond has only been worn by female members of the British royal family. It is said to bring bad luck if worn by a man. Queen Victoria wore the stone in a brooch and a circlet. After her death in 1901, it was placed in the Crown of Queen Alexandra. In 1911, it was moved to the Crown of Queen Mary, and in 1937, it was set in the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother for her coronation.
Today, the diamond is displayed in the Jewel House at the Tower of London. The governments of India, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have all claimed ownership of the Koh-i-Noor, asking for its return since India gained independence from the British Empire in 1947. The British government says the gem was legally acquired under the Last Treaty of Lahore in 1849 and has refused the claims.
History
In 1310, the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khalji gained a large diamond after conquering the Kakatiya dynasty in southern India. His court poet, Amir Khusrau, wrote that a Kakatiya messenger claimed the diamond was "unmatched in the world," and that wise people doubted its existence. An 18th-century historian, Khafi Khan, later identified this diamond as the Koh-i-Noor.
After Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, defeated Ibrahim Khan Lodi at the Battle of Panipat, Babur’s son Humayun captured the family of Bikramjit, the ruler of Gwalior. The family, who were in Agra at the time, gave Humayun a diamond. The Baburnama describes this diamond as the one from Alauddin, noting that appraisers estimated its value as "two and a half days of food for the entire world." William Dalrymple wrote that this diamond may or may not have been the Koh-i-Noor, as there were many large diamonds in India at that time.
When Humayun fled India after losing the Battle of Kannauj, an envoy from King Maldev of Jodhpur offered to buy the diamond. Humayun refused, saying it could not be bought—it could only be taken by force or given as a gift. Later, Humayun gave the diamond, along with other jewels, to the Safavid ruler Tahmasp I in exchange for protection. Humayun’s servant, Jauhar, wrote that Safavid jewelers called the gifts "above all price." For unknown reasons, in 1547, Tahmasp sent the diamond to his Shia ally, the Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar Sultanate in the Deccan. However, the envoy carrying the diamond, Mihtar Jamal, stole it. Khur Shah, an ambassador of Ahmadnagar’s rival, Golconda Sultanate, confirmed this was Babur’s diamond, though he noted a slightly lower weight than described by Babur. The Sultan of Ahmadnagar tried to find the envoy but failed, and the diamond is not mentioned again in records from that time.
In the 17th century, Mir Jumla of Golconda gave a large diamond to Humayun’s great-grandson, Shah Jahan. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, who saw the diamond in the treasury of Shah Jahan’s son, Aurangzeb, in 1665, called it the Great Mogul Diamond and said it came from the Kollur Mine. Tavernier noted that the Venetian jeweler Hortensio Borgio had poorly cut the diamond when Mir Jumla gave it. Later, Victorian writers linked this diamond to Babur’s and the Koh-i-Noor, but no earlier texts support this. Most modern scholars now believe the Great Mogul Diamond is the Orlov.
The first clear mention of the Koh-i-Noor appears in the writings of Muhammad Kazim Marvi, the biographer of Nader Shah of Persia. Marvi wrote that the Koh-i-Noor was part of the Peacock Throne, which Shah Jahan had built earlier and which Nader Shah took during his 1738 invasion of India. Theo Metcalfe, a 19th-century British official, wrote that a courtesan named Nur Bai told Nader Shah that the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah had hidden the Koh-i-Noor in his turban. Nader Shah, who had restored Muhammad Shah to the throne, insisted on swapping turbans with him as a sign of friendship, thus obtaining the diamond. Metcalfe claimed Nader Shah named the diamond "mountain of light" at this time, but no earlier sources support this story.
According to the Afghan chronicle Siraj al-Tawarikh, after Nader Shah’s death in 1747, his first wife gave the Koh-i-Noor to his general, Ahmad Shah, who later founded the Durrani Empire. Another account says Nader Shah’s grandson gave the diamond to Ahmad Shah in 1751 in return for support. One of Ahmad Shah’s grandsons, Shah Shuja Durrani, wore a bracelet with the Koh-i-Noor when British official Mountstuart Elphinstone visited Peshawar in 1808. A year later, Shah Shuja formed an alliance with Britain to defend against a possible Russian invasion of Afghanistan. He was soon overthrown but fled with the diamond to Lahore in the Sikh Empire (now Pakistan).
Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire, took the Koh-i-Noor from Shah Shuja in 1813. One account says Ranjit Singh asked for the diamond in exchange for his hospitality. Shah Shuja’s memoirs claim Ranjit Singh forced him to give up the diamond by torturing his son in front of him.
Ranjit Singh had Lahore jewelers examine the diamond for two days to confirm its authenticity. After they verified it, he gave Shah Shuja 125,000 rupees. He then asked Amritsar’s top jewelers to estimate its value, and they said it was "far beyond all computation." Ranjit Singh attached the diamond to his turban and paraded on an elephant so his people could see it. He wore it as an armlet during festivals like Diwali and Dusserah and carried it with him during travel. He showed it to important visitors, especially British officers.
One day, Ranjit Singh asked Shah Shuja and his wife, Wafa Begum, to estimate the diamond’s value. Wafa Begum said the diamond was worth more than all the gold and jewels in the space filled by a stone thrown in four directions and upward. Ranjit Singh became paranoid about the diamond being stolen, as another valuable jewel had been stolen from him when he was drunk. He stored the diamond in a secure vault at Gobindgarh Fort when not in use. When transporting it, the diamond was placed in a pannier on a guarded camel, with 39 other camels carrying identical panniers. The diamond was always on the first camel behind the guards, but the location was kept secret. Only Ranjit Singh’s treasurer, Misr Beli Ram, knew which camel carried it.
In June 1839, Ranjit Singh suffered his third stroke and was near death. On his deathbed, he gave away his valuables to religious charities and named his eldest son, Kharak Singh, as his successor. A day before his death, courtiers argued about the Koh-i-Noor’s fate. Bhai Gobind Ram, the head Brahmin, claimed the diamond was to be given to the Jagannath Temple in Puri, as Ranjit Singh had gestured in support. Treasurer Beli Ram, however, argued the diamond was state property and should go to Kharak Singh.
After Ranjit Singh’s death, Beli Ram hid the diamond in his vaults. Kharak Singh and his wazir, Dhian Singh, also ordered the diamond to stay in Lahore. On 8 October 1839, Khar
Ownership dispute
The Koh-i-Noor diamond has been a topic of debate among several countries for many years. India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan have all asked the United Kingdom to return the diamond at different times.
In 1947, when India became independent, the Indian government first asked the UK to return the Koh-i-Noor. A second request was made in 1953, the year Queen Elizabeth II became queen. Both times, the UK government refused, stating that ownership could not be discussed.
In 2000, some Indian lawmakers wrote a letter asking the UK to return the diamond, saying it was taken unfairly. UK officials responded that it was difficult to determine the diamond’s original owner and that it had been part of British history for over 150 years.
In 2010, UK Prime Minister David Cameron visited India and said returning the diamond would mean giving back many items from the British Museum, which he believed was not possible. During another visit in 2013, he said, "They’re not having that back."
In 2016, during a legal hearing in India, a government lawyer said the diamond was not stolen but given willingly. This statement caused criticism in India, and the government later said the lawyer’s words did not represent its official position. The government promised to work toward returning the diamond.
In 2018, India’s Archaeological Survey of India said the diamond was given to the UK in 1849 through a treaty with Maharaja Duleep Singh. The treaty stated the diamond was surrendered to the Queen of England. However, the treaty also noted that Duleep Singh was a child at the time.
In 1976, Pakistan claimed the diamond belonged to it, saying its return would show the UK’s support for ending colonial rule. The UK’s prime minister at the time, James Callaghan, said the diamond had passed through many hands and that the UK could not return it.
In 2000, Afghanistan’s government claimed the diamond belonged to it, saying it was taken from Afghanistan to India and then to the UK. This claim is based on records from a historical figure named Shah Shuja Durrani, who wrote that the diamond was taken unfairly.
Because of the disagreements over ownership, some people have suggested solutions, such as splitting the diamond into four parts and giving one to each of Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and the UK. Another idea is to display the diamond in a museum near the border between India and Pakistan. However, these ideas do not address Afghanistan’s claim or the UK’s current possession of the diamond. The UK government has always said the diamond’s ownership is not open to discussion.
In popular culture
A rumor that the Koh-i-Noor diamond is cursed may have started in the Delhi Gazette. This idea was later shared in The Illustrated London News, and Queen Victoria herself worried about the curse. This led to another rumor that the curse only affected male rulers.
The Koh-i-Noor inspired the gemstone named "Moonstone" in the 1868 novel The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. This book is often called the first full-length detective novel in English. In the book’s introduction, Collins said he based the Moonstone on two real diamonds: the Orlov, a large diamond in Russia, and the Koh-i-Noor. In a later edition of the book, a writer named J. I. M. Stewart explained that Collins used a book by G. C. King, The Natural History, Ancient and Modern, of Precious Stones (1865), to learn about the Koh-i-Noor’s history.
The Koh-i-Noor also appears in Agatha Christie’s 1925 mystery novel The Secret of Chimneys. In the story, the diamond is hidden in a large house and found at the end. Earlier in the book, it was stolen from the Tower of London by a gang leader from Paris, who replaced it with a fake.
The Koh-i-Noor plays a key role in George MacDonald Fraser’s 1990 novel Flashman and the Mountain of Light, which includes the diamond’s name in its title.
A 2005 Indian TV series called Kohinoor follows a search for the diamond after it is said to have returned to India.
The revived Doctor Who series includes the Koh-i-Noor in a 2006 episode called "Tooth and Claw." In the story, the diamond’s light, combined with moonlight, is strong enough to kill a werewolf.
The Koh-i-Noor is a major part of the 2014 Indian film Bang Bang!.
In the video game series Assassin’s Creed, the Koh-i-Noor is described as a Piece of Eden, a powerful relic made by an ancient race called the Isu. The diamond appears in the 2016 game Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India and in the 2015 game Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate. In Syndicate, it is revealed that the real Koh-i-Noor owned by the royal family is a fake, while the true diamond remains with the Assassins.
A 2019 film called Kolkatay Kohinoor explores the diamond’s fictional connection to Kolkata, India.