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Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond Hardcover – September 12, 2017

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 670 ratings

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From the internationally acclaimed and bestselling historians William Dalrymple and Anita Anand, the first comprehensive and authoritative history of the Koh-i-Noor diamond, arguably the most celebrated jewel in the world.

On March 29, 1849, the ten-year-old leader of the Sikh kingdom of the Punjab was ushered into the magnificent Mirrored Hall at the center of the British fort in Lahore, India. There, in a formal Act of Submission, the frightened but dignified child handed over to the British East India Company swathes of the richest land in India and the single most valuable object in the subcontinent: the celebrated Koh-i-Noor diamond, otherwise known as the Mountain of Light. To celebrate the acquisition, the British East India Company commissioned a history of the diamond woven together from the gossip of the Delhi Bazaars. From that moment forward, the Koh-i-Noor became the most famous and mythological diamond in history, with thousands of people coming to see it at the 1851 Great Exhibition and still more thousands repeating the largely fictitious account of its passage through history.

Using original eyewitness accounts and chronicles never before translated into English, Dalrymple and Anand trace the true history of the diamond and disperse the myths and fantastic tales that have long surrounded this awe-inspiring jewel. The resulting history of south and central Asia tells a true tale of greed, conquest, murder, torture, colonialism, and appropriation that shaped a continent and the Koh-i-Noor itself.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The diamond that now sparkles in the queen mother's crown is almost half the size of the original, but, as William Dalrymple and Anita Anand reveal in their lapidary book, its symbolic heft is as potent as ever." - The New York Times

"Though not the biggest diamond in the world--it ranks only 90th--it is certainly the most significant, as William Dalrymple and Anita Anand document in 'Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond.' Stories of bad luck have clung to it, and its arrival in Britain in 1850 caused a rash of novels about cursed jewels, among them Benjamin Disraeli's 'Lothair' and Wilkie Collins's 'The Moonstone.'" -
Wall Street Journal

"Riveting. Dalrymple and Anand present as evocative a rendering as the most enthralling bazaar storyteller while providing an astute and empathetic study of the historical landscape through which the diamond has made its troubled way . . . This highly readable and entertaining book . . . finally sets the record straight on the history of the Koh-i-Noor." -
The Sunday Times

"Dalrymple tracks its tortuous journey across the Indian subcontinent and Afghanistan to its arrival in the Punjabi treasury; Anand tells the subsequent story of British ownership. Their two narratives are
neatly spliced and stylistically harmonious." ***** - Mail on Sunday

"In this vivid history of one of the world's most celebrated gemstones, the Indian diamond known as the
Koh-i-Noor, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple put an inventive twist on the old maxim. 'Follow the diamond,' they realise, and it can lead into a dynamic, original and supremely readable history of empires." - The Guardian

"A book must be good if it makes me buy tickets to revisit the tower of London, an expensive family day out that I've been putting off for decades. After finishing this history of the Koh-i-Noor diamond, however, I needed to set eyes on the great 'mountain of light' . . . Its journey from the soft sand of an Indian riverbed to the Crown Jewels in the Tower is extraordinary.
William Dalrymple and Anita Anand have found previously ignored and untranslated Persian and Afghan sources to give us fresh information." - The Times

"William Dalrymple and Anita Anand's well-researched
Koh-i-Noor is the latest attempt to shake off the 'bazaar gossip' that surrounded this troublesome stone well before its first confirmed appearance at the court of the 17th-century Mughal emperor Shah Jahan . . . Dalrymple and Anand's tale is a writer's gift: gruesome and ceaselessly dramatic." - Daily Telegraph

"The history of the many who have coveted the diamond is long and involved, full of wonder and awe, treachery and bloodshed." -
The Observer

"A lively, well-researched history of lust for wealth and power." -
Kirkus Reviews

"[
Koh-i-Noor is] an eye-opening, informative, and entertainingly lurid narrative; the authors virtually revel in visceral details while highlighting the colonialism and appropriation so entwined with the diamond's history." - Publishers Weekly

"Koh-i-Noor
offers memorable tales of Indian courtly intrigue and violence, and explores the shifting fortunes of South Asian dynasties, the consolidation of British power in the subcontinent, and the British monarchy during and after Queen Victoria’s reign. Dalyrmple and Anand connect us with the series of maharajahs and princes through whose hands and lands this mystique-laden and allegedly cursed gemstone successively passed en route to its current contentious resting place" - Times Literary Supplement

"Meticulously researched and brilliantly written book. In fewer than 300 quick-reading pages, Dalrymple and Anand bust myth after myth. Anita Anand skilfully traces how the British desperately prised it from the hands of its Indian possessors as their administration dominated north-west India. Subtly written with a fine sense of context."
- BBC History Magazine

"Dalrymple and Anand bring every stage of the Koh-i-Noor's turbulent past to life. It is an utterly fascinating story, revealing the nature of power through the history of one of its most potent symbols." -
Literary Review

"A much needed historical work, and a pleasure to read. Highly recommended."
- Historical Novel Society

"A master story-teller, whose special gift lies in the use of indigenous sources, so often neglected by imperial chroniclers." - Max Hastings,
Sunday Times on RETURN OF A KING

"Anita Anand’s gripping book is a sad story of dispossession and dislocation . . . The story is fast-paced and thrilling . . . A noble book." -
Daily Telegraph on SOPHIA: PRINCESS, SUFFRAGETTE AND REVOLUTIONARY

"Magnificent . . . shames the simplistic efforts of previous writers." -
Spectator on THE LAST MUGHAL

About the Author

William Dalrymple wrote the highly acclaimed bestseller In Xanadu when he was just twenty-two. Since then, he has had seven more books published and won numerous awards for his writing, including the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year Award, the Duff Cooper Memorial Award, the Hemingway Prize and The Ryszard Kapuscinski Award for Literary Reportage. He lives with his wife and three children on a farm outside Delhi.

Anita Anand has been a radio and television journalist for over twenty years. On BBC television she has presented, among other shows,
The Daily Politics, Heaven and Earth Show and Newsnight. She is currently the presenter of Any Answers on BBC Radio 4. Her first book, Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary, received widespread critical acclaim. She lives in London with her husband and two children.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury USA; Illustrated edition (September 12, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 163557076X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1635570762
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.09 x 1.19 x 8.29 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 670 ratings

About the author

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William Dalrymple
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William Dalrymple FRSL, FRGS, FRAS (born William Hamilton-Dalrymple on 20 March 1965) is a Scottish historian and writer, art historian and curator, as well as a prominent broadcaster and critic.

His books have won numerous awards and prizes, including the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize, the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year Award, the Hemingway, the Kapuściński and the Wolfson Prizes. He has been four times longlisted and once shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction. He is also one of the co-founders and co-directors of the annual Jaipur Literature Festival.

In 2012 he was appointed a Whitney J. Oates Visiting Fellow in the Humanities by Princeton University. In the Spring of 2015 he was appointed the OP Jindal Distinguished Lecturer at Brown University.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Premkudva (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
670 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the story interesting and poignant. The book provides them with a lot of information and is useful for research. However, some customers feel there are no good images of the stone.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

7 customers mention "Enthralling story"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the story engaging and interesting. They appreciate the well-researched and passionate writing style. The book covers history of the diamond and country.

"...Iran led colorful and often violent lives, but the most interesting parts of the story to me were the chapters that dealt with the last Sikh ruler,..." Read more

"Poignant and intriguing." Read more

"...Tons of research has gone into writing this - I love it, it's captivating, the book gave me a new perspective about this famous diamond." Read more

"Love everything that the passionate and extremely well researched and knowledgable Willian Dalrymple writes" Read more

4 customers mention "Knowledge"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and useful for research. They say it's well-researched and written by a knowledgeable author.

"Well researched and well written book...." Read more

"Love everything that the passionate and extremely well researched and knowledgable Willian Dalrymple writes" Read more

"What an interesting book! Lots of information but it’s odd that there is no decent picture of the diamond itself. I’ll go online." Read more

"Great book for research. Full of history!!" Read more

3 customers mention "Image quality"0 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's images poor. They mention there are no good images of the stone.

"...Even the images are extremely limited. There are more of the rulers than the stone itself! As I said disappointing." Read more

"...Lots of information but it’s odd that there is no decent picture of the diamond itself. I’ll go online." Read more

"I was very disappointed that there are no good images of the stone." Read more

Loved it
4 out of 5 stars
Loved it
This is the story of the most infamous diamond 'Kohinoor' which crossed the continents, which was the cause of wars and robberies, which has moved from one king to another and at last entered the British crown.I was reading about Kohinoor from childhood and so, this topic is interesting to me even though I am not a history buff.The initial pages of the book are boring as there is no clear evidence of where the Kohinoor was found/ seen before it entered the Mughal kingdom. But, the authors have written on multiple instances of its reference in Vijayanagara kingdom, Nizam's rule etc., The book covers the detailed history of Mughal kingdom's decline after Muhammad Shah(Rangila), Nader shah's cruelty, his conquests in India, the diamond moving to Persia and then to Afghanistan and returning back to Ranjit Singh, King of Punjab from Shah Shuja.It is indeed frightening to read how much violence is caused because of this kind of precious stones. The way the British (especially Lord Dalhousie) dealt with the young king of Punjab Duleep Singh by forcing him to give the Kohinoor to Queen Victoria, separating him from his mom and Rani Jindan is manipulative and cunning.It is interesting to know the circumstances that made the Kohinoor a curse to the owners. I felt bad to read about the cut done on the diamond in London which made it lose its major mass. It is disappointing that British is still strong on not returning the diamond back to the country it belongs.The book also covers the recent incidents of politicians asking for the return of Kohinoor to India including the PM Modi's visit to London where he didn't bring up this topic with the royal family.A small, but invaluable diamond seems to bring mixed fortunes wherever it went and created its own place in the world's history.What I liked about the book?The narration is interesting with facts. Even though I don't like history, it is written well and thus gripping till the end. The highlight of the book is that it covered even the recent events about Kohinoor. The authors have done thorough research and are knowledgeable on the topic which is plus point of the book.My Rating: 4.5/5I recommend this to all history lovers and fiction lovers alike who love to know about this infamous diamond.PS: I have received a complimentary copy of the book from juggernaut for review and this is my honest opinion on the book.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2017
    Visiting the Jewel House in the Tower of London is a truly awe-inspiring experience. Crowns, orbs, sceptres, and other pieces of royal regalia, some of them centuries old, lie before the crowds of viewers, priceless as much for their history as for the intrinsic value of their gold and precious stones. Among the most impressive pieces must be the crown created for the late Queen Mother for her coronation in 1937. It contains many beautiful diamonds and other precious stones, but the paramount feature of the crown must be the very large diamond at the front, the fabled Koh-i-Noor, or Mountain of Light. One of the most famous, yet still mysterious, diamonds in the world, the Koh-i-Noor's history is wrapped in legend and rumor. William Dalrymple and Anita Anand have sifted through the fables and come up with as accurate a history of the Koh-i-Noor as we are ever likely to see. That true history, as readers of this well told tale will find, is as remarkable as any fantasy.

    The origins of the stone which eventually came to be part of the British royal regalia are shrouded in the mists of history. India was the ancient source of most of the world's diamonds, and the large, irregularly shaped stone called the Koh-i-Noor was probably extracted from a river bed hundreds, perhaps thousands of years ago. There are many tales of mysterious large diamonds in Indian history, but the undisputed record of the Koh-i-Noor begins with the establishment of the Mughal Dynasty in the 1500s. Throughout the vicissitudes of the Mughals, who included some of the most powerful and wealthy rulers in Indian history, the Koh-i-Noor blazed its own trail: adorning the Peacock Throne, taken to Iran, returned to India, taken to Afghanistan, and then coming into the possession of the Sikh rulers of Punjab. In 1849 the British East India Company, which had succeeded in taking over much of the Indian subcontinent, obliged the last Sikh maharajah to hand over the Koh-i-Noor as a present for Queen Victoria. In England the Koh-i-Noor was a star attraction at the Great Exhibition of 1851, then shaped by jewellers into a more sparkling and multi-faceted stone. Queen Victoria wore it , and it adorned the coronation crowns of three queens consort. But Queen Elizabeth II has never worn it, nor have any male British monarchs.

    Dalrymple and Anand trace the fascinating tale of the Koh-i-Noor as well as possible, given the ambiguity with which early records speak of it and other large Indian gems. The various owners of the Koh-i-Noor in India, Afghanistan, and Iran led colorful and often violent lives, but the most interesting parts of the story to me were the chapters that dealt with the last Sikh ruler, Duleep Singh. At the age of 10 he was coerced into giving up his nation's sovereignity along with handing over the great diamond. Raised by English caretakers, he converted to Christianity and went to live in England where he became a sort of adopted son of Queen Victoria,. Becoming rebellious and resentful in later years, he led an unhappy life and in many ways symbolizes the complex relationship between Britain and India. I also found the final chapter detailing the efforts of various Indian, Pakistani, and Afghan governments to reclaim the Koh-i-Noor interesting for the light it sheds on the complex relationship between a former mother country and its colonies.

    The story of the Koh-i-Noor stretches for centuries and involves great artists and craftsmen as well as venality and violence. William Dalrymple and Anita Anand's history does full justice to their remarkable subject.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2018
    Great book, I love it. However, I only wished they would mention the Brutality of the Mughal empire to Hindus and the massacre of Hindu men, women and children at the time. The book makes it seems that Mughal empire was gracious and fabulous. However, one Muslim king murdered many Hindus and made a wall of skulls.
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2020
    Poignant and intriguing.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2019
    Well written book that I was quiet disappointed in. Being a Graduate Gemologist about the go to Amsterdam and take a class on gem cutting from Coster Diamonds, the firm that was hired to recut the K-I-N. I thought it only right to learn a bit more than on my previous visits to the jewel house at the Tower of London. Well I learned a lot about the western version of the possible history of the Punjab region of India. And the POSSIBLE previous Mogul rulers who MIGHT have owned the famous diamond, but I can’t say I learned much about the diamond! Even the images are extremely limited. There are more of the rulers than the stone itself! As I said disappointing.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2017
    I'm obsessed with this book, couldn't put it down. Tons of research has gone into writing this - I love it, it's captivating, the book gave me a new perspective about this famous diamond.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2018
    Well researched and well written book. What is amazing is that the Kohinoor has gone through a roller coaster ride throughout its history and yet survived. Hard to see Britain handing it back though.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2017
    Love everything that the passionate and extremely well researched and knowledgable Willian Dalrymple writes
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2017
    Fantastic and speedy service. A lovely book - as advertised! Will be happy to buy from again.

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • NS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Illuminating
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2024
    Such an informative, interesting and illuminating read about the history of this infamous diamond. It seems clear to me the stone does originate from India, and brings darkness & destruction when possessed by those to who it does not belong to. Excellent written work by Dalrymple.
  • A Montreal Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Lesson in Indian/Pakistani History
    Reviewed in Canada on August 27, 2018
    The story of the gem is intricately weaved into a history lesson of India/Pakistan. It is so well written, that I was able to go through it in one day. I found it fascinating how some of the history, written fairly neutral,, had very different interprétations at our book club - whether you were British or not - the view was very different of who did what damage. It is of course sad to not have this jewel intact (its original size) and returned to its rightful owners. You will learn plenty by reading this book and will want to learn more.
  • peter e.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hoch interessant.
    Reviewed in Germany on February 12, 2020
    Ein wunderbarer Author schreibt wieder ein wunderbares super recherchiertes Buch
  • Yash Sharma
    5.0 out of 5 stars Koh-i-noor : Mountain of light
    Reviewed in India on January 18, 2018
    1) This book is divided into the following two parts, the first part was written by william Dalrymple and the second part was written by Anita anand

    Part 1 : The jewel in the throne
    * The Indian prehistory of the koh-i-noor
    * The mughals and the koh-i-noor
    * Nader shah : The koh-i-noor goes to Iran
    * The durranis : The koh-i-noor in Afghanistan
    * Ranjit Singh : The koh-i-noor in lahore

    Part 2 : The jewel in the crown
    * City of Ash
    * The boy King
    * Passage to England
    * The great exhibition
    * The first cut
    * Queen Victoria's 'Loyal subject'
    * The jewel and the crown
    * 'We must take back the koh-i-noor'

    2) According to the pious hindus the koh-i-noor was actually the "Syamantaka" gem as the 'Prince of gemstones' which is mentioned in the Bhagavad and vishnu puranas. And according to these ancient text Syamantaka was the brilliant jewel of the sun god Surya who wore it around his neck and from which he derived his dazzling appearance,but later the sun god gave the precious gem to satrajit, the yadava king of Dwarka because of his devotion towards him. But later the yadava king accused vasudeva shri krishna of stealing the gem but the latter proved his innocence and because of this the king gave her daughter and the diamond to him in marriage and because of these tales the Hindus considered Syamantaka as koh-i-noor and connect it with shri krishna.

    2) Though majority of the world's diamond came from India until the discovery of diamond mines in Brazil in 1725 and the world's oldest treatise on gems and gemmology were also written in ancient India and collectively these text are known as "Ratnashastras".

    3) Though nobody knows how the great mughals got the koh-i-noor but according to various travellers it came from the southern India and precisely from vijaynagar.But one thing Is clear that nobody knows about the origin of koh-i-noor and how it entered into the treasury of the mughals but we know how it left.

    4) Babur mentioned about a great diamond in his Autobiography ' Baburnama ' but is this the koh-i-noor no one knows but during the reign of shahjahan when he ordered the magnificent 'Peacock throne' to be built it is the first time koh-i-noor came into light and it is fitted in one of the two peacocks. But during the rule of Muhammad Shah rangila ,the persian speaking warlord Nader Shah (son of a shepherd) invaded India and entered Delhi and ordered the massacre of civilians of Delhi and his army looted the entire city and grabbed the peacock throne and koh-i-noor and crores of rupees and precious gems and stones on his way back to Iran. But nadir shah was brutally killed by his own Men, but the first lady of Nader shah's harem gave the koh-i-noor to his trusted bodyguard Ahmad shah abdali/durrani .

    5) Ahmad Shah abdali (the founding father of Afghanistan) who bring the koh-i-noor with himself in Afghanistan and the diamond remained with the durrani family for sometime but during the reign of afghan ruler Shah shuja he was incarcerated in prison by his rivals and his family reached in the court of Maharaja ranjit singh and shuja's wife promised maharaja ranjit that she will give koh-i-noor to Maharaja if he freed and saved the life of his husband Shah shuja and later ranjit singh freed shuja and takes the koh-i-noor from the afgan ruler.

    6) Infact it was the lion of punjab maharaja ranjit singh who glorified the Value of koh-i-noor than any other king and he always wore the diamond in his arm as a armband but later when Ranjit Singh on his last stage of life he wanted that koh-i-noor should be donated to jagannath temple in Orissa but somehow his treasurer defied him and the great diamond stayed in punjab. But after the death of ranjit singh and afterwards the two anglo-sikh wars and finally British annexed the kingdom of punjab and lord dalhousie Cleverly forced the juvenile maharaja Duleep singh to gave the diamond to queen victoria which later he did and later koh-i-noor left the shore of hindustan for forever and reached london with great pomp.

    7) But the matter does not settle here people from India, pakistan,Iran , afghanistan and Infact taliban Demands the koh-i-noor should be given to there respective countries and each claim the great diamond as its own ,but the sad reality is that koh-i-noor will remain in london forever in her Majesty crown. But the fame of koh-i-noor radiates all over the world Though it is not the world's biggest diamond but still it retains it's fame and that's why it is known as koh-i-noor- "
    The mountain of light"

    8) This book is awesome and both the authors had done a good amount of research and the language of the book is very easy to read, there are some rare pictures of koh-i-noor, of peacock throne and the various kings who wore the diamond ones very proudly.

    9) The reader will also get a chapter on the life of Maharaja Duleep singh and how the latter was converted to Christianity.

    10) I will recommend to Readers don't think too much just grab this book and read it thoroughly.

    My ratings : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

    I hope you like the review, thanks for reading, Jai Hind.
    Customer image
    Yash Sharma
    5.0 out of 5 stars Koh-i-noor : Mountain of light
    Reviewed in India on January 18, 2018
    1) This book is divided into the following two parts, the first part was written by william Dalrymple and the second part was written by Anita anand

    Part 1 : The jewel in the throne
    * The Indian prehistory of the koh-i-noor
    * The mughals and the koh-i-noor
    * Nader shah : The koh-i-noor goes to Iran
    * The durranis : The koh-i-noor in Afghanistan
    * Ranjit Singh : The koh-i-noor in lahore

    Part 2 : The jewel in the crown
    * City of Ash
    * The boy King
    * Passage to England
    * The great exhibition
    * The first cut
    * Queen Victoria's 'Loyal subject'
    * The jewel and the crown
    * 'We must take back the koh-i-noor'

    2) According to the pious hindus the koh-i-noor was actually the "Syamantaka" gem as the 'Prince of gemstones' which is mentioned in the Bhagavad and vishnu puranas. And according to these ancient text Syamantaka was the brilliant jewel of the sun god Surya who wore it around his neck and from which he derived his dazzling appearance,but later the sun god gave the precious gem to satrajit, the yadava king of Dwarka because of his devotion towards him. But later the yadava king accused vasudeva shri krishna of stealing the gem but the latter proved his innocence and because of this the king gave her daughter and the diamond to him in marriage and because of these tales the Hindus considered Syamantaka as koh-i-noor and connect it with shri krishna.

    2) Though majority of the world's diamond came from India until the discovery of diamond mines in Brazil in 1725 and the world's oldest treatise on gems and gemmology were also written in ancient India and collectively these text are known as "Ratnashastras".

    3) Though nobody knows how the great mughals got the koh-i-noor but according to various travellers it came from the southern India and precisely from vijaynagar.But one thing Is clear that nobody knows about the origin of koh-i-noor and how it entered into the treasury of the mughals but we know how it left.

    4) Babur mentioned about a great diamond in his Autobiography ' Baburnama ' but is this the koh-i-noor no one knows but during the reign of shahjahan when he ordered the magnificent 'Peacock throne' to be built it is the first time koh-i-noor came into light and it is fitted in one of the two peacocks. But during the rule of Muhammad Shah rangila ,the persian speaking warlord Nader Shah (son of a shepherd) invaded India and entered Delhi and ordered the massacre of civilians of Delhi and his army looted the entire city and grabbed the peacock throne and koh-i-noor and crores of rupees and precious gems and stones on his way back to Iran. But nadir shah was brutally killed by his own Men, but the first lady of Nader shah's harem gave the koh-i-noor to his trusted bodyguard Ahmad shah abdali/durrani .

    5) Ahmad Shah abdali (the founding father of Afghanistan) who bring the koh-i-noor with himself in Afghanistan and the diamond remained with the durrani family for sometime but during the reign of afghan ruler Shah shuja he was incarcerated in prison by his rivals and his family reached in the court of Maharaja ranjit singh and shuja's wife promised maharaja ranjit that she will give koh-i-noor to Maharaja if he freed and saved the life of his husband Shah shuja and later ranjit singh freed shuja and takes the koh-i-noor from the afgan ruler.

    6) Infact it was the lion of punjab maharaja ranjit singh who glorified the Value of koh-i-noor than any other king and he always wore the diamond in his arm as a armband but later when Ranjit Singh on his last stage of life he wanted that koh-i-noor should be donated to jagannath temple in Orissa but somehow his treasurer defied him and the great diamond stayed in punjab. But after the death of ranjit singh and afterwards the two anglo-sikh wars and finally British annexed the kingdom of punjab and lord dalhousie Cleverly forced the juvenile maharaja Duleep singh to gave the diamond to queen victoria which later he did and later koh-i-noor left the shore of hindustan for forever and reached london with great pomp.

    7) But the matter does not settle here people from India, pakistan,Iran , afghanistan and Infact taliban Demands the koh-i-noor should be given to there respective countries and each claim the great diamond as its own ,but the sad reality is that koh-i-noor will remain in london forever in her Majesty crown. But the fame of koh-i-noor radiates all over the world Though it is not the world's biggest diamond but still it retains it's fame and that's why it is known as koh-i-noor- "
    The mountain of light"

    8) This book is awesome and both the authors had done a good amount of research and the language of the book is very easy to read, there are some rare pictures of koh-i-noor, of peacock throne and the various kings who wore the diamond ones very proudly.

    9) The reader will also get a chapter on the life of Maharaja Duleep singh and how the latter was converted to Christianity.

    10) I will recommend to Readers don't think too much just grab this book and read it thoroughly.

    My ratings : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

    I hope you like the review, thanks for reading, Jai Hind.
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars A fairly detailed historical review of the famous diamond. ...
    Reviewed in Canada on August 14, 2017
    A fairly detailed historical review of the famous diamond. The book covers many facet of different conquerors of the subcontinent.