Koh-i-Noor

Koh-i-Noor by Anita Anand and William Dalrymple offers the first comprehensive and authoritative history of the Koh-i-Noor, arguably the most celebrated and mythologised jewel in the world.

On 29 March 1849, the ten-year-old Maharaja of Punjab was ushered into the magnificent Mirrored Hall at the centre of the great fort in Lahore. In a sombre and public ceremony, the frightened but dignified child was compelled to hand over vast swathes of the richest country in India in a formal Act of Submission to a private corporation, the East India Company. But this wasn't all; he was also forced to surrender a symbol of immeasurable value to the British monarch, Queen Victoria: the fabled Koh-i-Noor diamond, also known as the "Mountain of Light".

The British later commissioned a history of the Koh-i-Noor, though it was a narrative stitched together from the gossip and rumours of Delhi bazaars. Despite its dubious origins, this version of events became the accepted history of the diamond. It’s only now, through the diligent research by Anand and Dalrymple, that this tale is being meticulously disentangled from the myths and legends that have long obscured its truth.

Koh-i-Noor expertly navigates through an intricate tapestry of greed, murder, torture, colonialism, and appropriation, charting the diamond's journey through an impressive span of South and Central Asian history. The story unfolds to reveal the darker chapters associated with the gem, depicting a more complex and often harrowing saga than commonly known.

The narrative crescendos with the diamond in its current, controversial setting: adorning the crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The authors shed light not only on the jewel itself but also on the significant political and historical implications of its journey.

Masterly, powerful, and erudite, Koh-i-Noor is history at its most compelling and invigorating. This book challenges long-held narratives, presenting a deeply researched account that frees the renowned diamond from its shroud of mythology, offering readers an intricate and engaging historical investigation into one of the world’s most famous treasures.