Diamond mining was carried out only in Golconda, India in early times. It was only in 1730 that diamonds were discovered in Brazil followed by a few other countries; and the West discovered a jewel which Muslims had known for centuries. Today, diamond mining is only carried out in about 11 major countries. The most famous diamond is the Koh-i-Noor or Mountain of Light. Here’s a glimpse into its history:
Some sources say the Koh-i-noor was found more than 5000 years ago in Golconda. In 1294 Alaud Deen Khilji’s Muslim armies captured gold, diamonds, pearls and ivory from the Rajah of Malwa and took them to Delhi. The Koh-i-noor diamond was part of the bounty. From then it passed through the hands of successive rulers of the Delhi sultanate, finally passing to Babur, the first Mughal emperor, in 1526. The first confirmed note historically mentioning the Kohinoor by an identifiable name dates from 1526 in Babur’s memoirs. The Koh-i-noor remained with the Mughal emperors until 1739, when Nadir Shah of Persia got hold of it after laying siege to Delhi. Nadir Shah first called it 'Koh-i-noor', which means 'mountain of light'. After the death of Nadir Shah the Koh-i-noor came into the possession of Ahmed Shah Abdali, King of Afghanistan. In 1830,Shah Shuja, the deposed ruler of Afghanistan, fled with the diamond to Lahore where it was given to the Sikh Maharaja of Punjab. When the British annexed Punjab they took the diamond in 1849.
Koh-i-Noor originally weighed 793 carats, the largest known diamond in thw world at the time, but through cutting and polishing reduced to 186 carats. In 1852 the British reduced it to 105 carats (21.6g). The Koh-i-Noor formed part of the British Crown Jewels, in several crowns, since 1852. In 2000 the Taleban regime demanded the return of the Koh-i-noor to Afghanistan, claiming that it is the property of Afghanistan. As of 2007, it remains in the Tower of London. %
KOH-I-NOOR DIAMOND
