The Darya-ye Noor Diamond

The Darya-ye Noor meaning "Sea of Light" in Persian, is one of the largest diamonds in the world, weighing 182 carats (36.4 g). Its colour, pale pink, is one of the rarest to be found in diamonds. The Darya-ye Noor presently forms part of the Iranian crown jewels. It is considered one of the oldest known diamonds to man.

Darya-ye Noor Diamond is recognized as the possession of the first Mogul emperor of India and is ranked as the most eminent diamond among the Iranian Crown Jewels.


The history behind the Darya-ye Noor reveals a lot of facts. The extraction of this diamond was in India at the Golconda mine, which is in the southern India. The diamond was a precious possession of the Mughal knights. In 1739, the adventurer Nader Shah of Persia invaded India and sacked Delhi; the booty he garnered from the mughal treasury included the Darya-i-noor, in addition to the Kohinoor and the Peacock throne. All of these treasures were carried to Persia by Nader Shah and the Darya-i-noor has remained there ever since.

After Nader Shah's death, the Darya-ye Noor was inherited by his grandson, Shahrokh Mirza. It then passed into the possession of Alam Khan Khozeimeh, and later, of Lotf Ali Khan Zand, a member of Iran's Zand dynasty. Agha Mohammad Khan, founder of Qajar dynasty, defeated the Zands, and thus the Darya-e-noor came into the possession of the Qajars.


Fath Ali Shah Qajar had his name inscribed on one facet of the diamond. Later, Nasser-al-Din Shah Qajar often wore it on an armband. He apparently believed that this diamond had been one of the those adorning the crown of Cyrus the Great. When armbands fell from royal fashion, he wore the diamond as a brooch.


On occasion, the gem would be left in the care of high personages of the land, as a sign of honor. It was eventually kept hidden in the Golestan Palace treasury museum until Mozzafar-al-Din Shah Qajar's time -- this monarch wore it as a hat decoration while visiting Europe in 1902.

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