Book Review: A glittering history of the world’s most infamous diamond

The Koh-i-Noor diamond passed through the hands of Mughals, Iranians, Afghans and Sikhs before it landed in Britain.
Updated 04 October 2017
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Book Review: A glittering history of the world’s most infamous diamond

William Dalrymple first arrived in India in 1984 and claimed that it was “the trip that really changed the direction of my life.” Since 1989, the Scottish author has intermittently lived in a farmhouse in Delhi. His love for India has inspired some beautiful books. I particularly enjoyed “White Mughals,” which tells the poignant story of General James Achilles Kirkpatrick who embraced the Indo-Persian lifestyle of the ruling classes that were being supplanted by the British. He fell in love with a beautiful Hyderabadi princess, Khair un-Nissa, and became a Muslim to marry her.
In this latest book, co-authored by journalist Anita Anand, Dalrymple tackles a regal subject, the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
‘’The rock star gem is a symbol of the looting of colonial times,” wrote Dalrymple, who became interested in the diamond after he came across references to it in Persian manuscripts.
During a recent edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival, Anand, Dalrymple and Navtej Sarna, who has also written about the Koh-i-Noor diamond, took part in a panel. “Something extraordinary happened, the audience was enraptured,” Anand wrote. Indeed, “it was electric. Because none of us knew the next bit of the story,” Dalrymple added. “I knew the first bit in Afghanistan, Navtej knew the Ranjit Singh bit, Anita knew the end of the story with Duleep Singh. So, we just sat there and came up with ‘We must do a book’,” Dalrymple wrote. Soon after, Sarna became India’s High Commissioner in London. Despite the lack of a third partner, Dalrymple and Anand decided to go on with the book. “We were both passionately interested in uncovering the truth and that’s what we’ve done in this book,” Anand wrote.
The last time the Koh-i-Noor was seen in public was at the queen mother’s funeral in 2002, when the crown, with the Koh-i-Noor as its centerpiece, was placed on her coffin. However, that stone was quite different from the 190.3 metric carat diamond that arrived in England on June 30, 1850.
Britons would get their first chance to see the Koh-i-Noor at the Great Exhibition of 1851. A third of the entire population of Great Britain at the time, that is around six million people, were expected to visit the exhibition between May 1 and Oct. 11, 1851. However, the visitors who managed to see the Koh-i-Noor were very disappointed. The Illustrated London News was quick to report that the Koh-i-Noor was not cut in the best form for exhibiting its purity and luster. Queen Victoria’s hisband, Prince Albert, was preoccupied by the diamond’s failure to arouse the interest of visitors and asked scientists and jewelers what could be done to improve its appearance. Sir David Brewster, the father of modern experimental optics, concluded that its yellow flecks prevented it from refracting light and added that the diamond would lose a great deal of its size if the flaws were dealt with adequately. Prince Albert then asked Messrs Garrard of London, jewelers to the queen, for a second opinion. Dutch craftsmen, known for their expertise, confirmed Brewster’s opinion concerning the flaws but they were sure they could make the Koh-i-Noor shine without reducing its size. However, despite their assurances, the expert stone cutters reduced the stone by half. It was unrecognizable, but at last it sparkled.
The Koh-i-Noor is an alluvial diamond because it was not actually mined but extracted from ancient riverbeds. Most alluvial diamonds are very small and it is rare to find a diamond as large as a hen’s egg. Until diamond mines were discovered in Brazil in 1725, all the world’s diamonds came from India.
The Koh-i-Noor has passed through the hands of Mughals, Iranians, Afghans and Sikhs. “Frustrating as it is, we simply do not know for sure the origin of the Koh-i-Noor and have no hard information about when, how or where it entered Mughal hands. We only know for sure how it left,” the authors wrote.
It is hard to imagine how such a beautiful object could trigger so much hatred and horrific instances of torture. Nader Shah, the Iranian ruler who invaded the Mughal empire, ordered that his son be blinded and his eyes brought to him on a platter. However, this was nothing compared to the atrocities committed by Agha Mohammed, a former court eunuch who was looking after an important prisoner, Shah Rukh, a grandson of Nader Shah. Although Sha Rukh had told his captor the hiding place of the crown jewels, he continued to torture him, asking him to reveal the Koh-i-Noor’s hiding place.
The first lady of Nader Shah’s harem gave Ahmed Khan Abdali, an Afghan general who had valiantly defeated a group of renegades who were plundering the royal coffers, the Koh-i-Noor and the Timur Ruby. Abdali wore the jewels in an armlet and reached Kandahar, which became the home of the Koh-i-Noor for the next 70 years. The diamond then reached Punjab and the hands of Ranjit Singh in 1813.
“For the next 36 years, the Koh-i-Noor would be in the possession of the Sikhs, indeed it would become… a symbol of their sovereignty,” the authors wrote.
The last owner of the Koh-i-Noor, Duleep Singh, was proclaimed maharaja of Punjab when he was five-years-old on Sept. 18, 1843. Six years later, he was told that he had submit to British power and surrender the Koh-i-Noor to the British queen. The Lloyd’s Weekly newspaper criticized the role played by the earl of Dalhousie, the governor-general of India, in exerting pressure on the young ruler to sign the final Treaty of Lahore.
“Though the marquis of Dalhousie has substantially made her majesty a present of the gem, in point of form, the boy Dhuleep Singh ceded it to the queen. But such a cession is a mockery (as) the lad did exactly what he was bid… He signed the paper placed before him quite regardless of its contents and the responsibility of its terms rest entirely with the governor-general.”
Queen Elizabeth II has refrained from wearing the Koh-i-Noor in public and it is now on display in the Tower of London, despite calls for it to be returned to the Indian sub-continent. In November 2000, the Taliban demanded that the Koh-i-Noor be returned to them. Faiz Ahmad Faiz, the Taliban’s foreign affairs spokesman, said: “The history of the diamond shows that it was taken from us to India and from there to Britain. We have a much better claim than the Indians.”
Pakistan also wants the return of the Koh-i-Noor while the Indian government maintains that it will try to bring back the diamond, despite the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, saying “diamonds were for the emperors and India does not need emperors.” Amid the claims and counter-claims, the British government is adamant that the stone will remain in London.
This book is a brilliant read for anyone interested in this infamous gem and its history.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Following the Bend’ by Ellen Wohl

Updated 13 November 2024
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Following the Bend’ by Ellen Wohl

When we look at a river, either up close or while flying over a river valley, what are we really seeing?

“Following the Bend” takes readers on a majestic journey by water to find answers, along the way shedding light on the key concepts of modern river science, from hydrology and water chemistry to stream and wetland ecology.

In this accessible and uniquely personal book, Ellen Wohl explains how to “read” a river, blending the latest science with her own personal experiences as a geologist and naturalist who has worked on rivers for more than three decades. 


UK writer Samantha Harvey wins 2024 Booker with space novel

Updated 13 November 2024
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UK writer Samantha Harvey wins 2024 Booker with space novel

  • The prize is seen as a talent spotter of names not necessarily widely known to the general public

LONDON: British writer Samantha Harvey on Tuesday won the 2024 Booker Prize, a prestigious English-language literary award, for her novel tracking six astronauts in space for 24 hours.
Harvey’s “Orbital” follows two men and four women from Japan, Russia, the United States, Britain and Italy aboard the International Space Station and touches on mourning, desire and the climate crisis.
The 49-year-old Harvey previously made the longlist for the Booker Prize in 2009 with her debut novel “The Wilderness.”
Harvey dedicated the prize to “all the people who speak for and not against the earth and work for and not against peace.”
Chair of the judges, Edmund de Waal, said “everyone and no one is the subject” of the novel, “as six astronauts in the International Space Station circle the earth observing the passages of weather across the fragility of borders and time zones.”
“With her language of lyricism and acuity Harvey makes our world strange and new for us.”
A record five women were in the running for the £50,000 ($64,500) prize which was announced at a glitzy ceremony in London.
Previous winners include Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood.
The prize is seen as a talent spotter of names not necessarily widely known to the general public.
The Booker is open to works of fiction by writers of any nationality, written in English and published in the UK or Ireland between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Dragonflies and Damselflies of the World’ by Klass-Douwe B. Dijkstra

Updated 12 November 2024
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Dragonflies and Damselflies of the World’ by Klass-Douwe B. Dijkstra

Airily dancing over rivers and ponds, the thousands of colorful dragonfly and damselfly species that cohabit our planet may seem of little importance.

Few life-forms, however, convey the condition of the most limiting resource on land and life’s most bountiful environment as well as they can: While the adults are exceptional aerial hunters, their nymphs are all confined to freshwater.

“Dragonflies and Damselflies of the World” showcases their beauty and diversity while shedding light on how they evolved into the vital symbols of planetary health we celebrate today.


Emirates Airline Festival of Literature announces 2025 lineup

Updated 13 November 2024
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Emirates Airline Festival of Literature announces 2025 lineup

DUBAI: The Emirates Literature Foundation has revealed the speaker lineup and programme details for the upcoming Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2025, officially marking the countdown to the 17th edition of the event. Set to take place from Jan. 29 to Feb. 3, 2025 at the newly renovated InterContinental Dubai Festival City, the LitFest will offer attendees over 150 incomparable experiences, including fan-favourites: Desert Stanzas, LitFest After Hours, Discovery Talks, and the LitFest Families programme.

Leading the list of authors is US-Indian writer and Stanford University professor Abraham Verghese, author of “The Covenant of Water,” which rose to fame when it was chosen for Oprah Winfrey’s book club.

Other anticipated names include Emmy Award-winning journalist Hala Gorani, the best-selling author and illustrator of the wildly popular “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series Jeff Kinney, multi-talented author and screenwriter Daniel Handler (also known as Lemony Snicket, creator of “A Series of Unfortunate Events”), Booker Prize-nominated author Chigozie Obioma, best-selling travel writer and author Dr Mohamed Mansi Qandil, scholar and researcher Abdel Illah Benarafa, Cultural Personality of the Year Waciny Laredj, poet and author Khalid Albudoor, and celebrated Palestinian chef and cookbook author Fadi Kattan.

Closer to home, Saudi author Faisal J. Abbas will talk about his new book, “Anecdotes of an Arab Anglophile,” a witty and thoughtful take on what it is like being an Arab in London.

“As we navigate a world of uncertainty and change, the Emirates LitFest serves as a vital platform for dialogue, understanding, and reflection,” said Ahlam Bolooki, CEO of Emirates Literature Foundation, Director of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, and Managing Director of ELF Publishing.

“Global conversations around identity and culture have never been more crucial, and we are honoured to welcome literary icons from across the globe whose works speak to the heart of these issues. Through our Festival’s dynamic programme, sessions that are set to inspire future generations and events that celebrate our shared experiences, we are building a community based on empathy and understanding. Now, more than ever, we need stories that connect us to our shared humanity, and the Emirates LitFest is where those stories happen” she added.

Dubai Culture is sponsoring this year’s Emirati Strand, which celebrates the culture of the UAE and provides an opportunity for Emirati and international authors to grace the Emirates LitFest stage together. The Emirati Strand features a diverse range of experiences and a distinguished line-up of Emirati writers including poet Adel Khozam, Dr Noura Alkarbi, artist Asmaa Al-Remithi, poet Ali Al-Shaali, author and scholar Salha Ghabish, author and trainer Hamdan Bin Shfayan Alameri, author Nadia Al Najjar, filmmaker Nahla Al Fahad, and many more.

“With everything going on in the world, now more than ever, we need stories. We need human connection. We need to come together in the ‘sanctuary of dreams’ … which the festival offers,” Tamreez Inam, head of programming, told Arab News.

“The festival welcomes people who want to dream and imagine a world that celebrates our shared humanity and offers a place where people can tell their own stories, find themselves in other stories and connect at that very human level. And I think that’s why the 2025 festival is so important; it’s needed more than ever now,” she added.

Dania Droubi, the festival’s chief operating officer, revealed that the event will also host an international youth program.

“We have 150 university students from around the world coming to participate in our program, and they are going to be here in Dubai,” she said.

“They’re all students who speak Arabic and who study Arabic. They are going to be here to meet with another 150 from the UAE-based universities, and they’re here to attend and see the authors and the speakers … and just participate in these discussions, because the youth are the future.”

For information on the full programme and tickets, visit https://emirateslitfest.com.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life’ by Stephen J. Campbell

Updated 11 November 2024
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life’ by Stephen J. Campbell

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) never signed a painting, and none of his supposed self-portraits can be securely ascribed to his hand.

Addressing the ethical stakes involved in studying past lives, Stephen J. Campbell shows how this invented Leonardo has invited speculation from figures ranging from art dealers and curators to scholars, scientists, and biographers, many of whom have filled in the gaps of what can be known of Leonardo’s life with claims to decode secrets, reveal mysteries of a vanished past, or discover lost masterpieces of spectacular value.