How did the Shah diamond end up in Russia?

The Shah Diamond is one of the most unusual and mysterious diamonds on Earth. Its history begins even before the Mughal era. It is believed that the stone was found in the mines of Golconda (one of the Muslim sultanates of central India) in the 16th century, before they were abandoned. And it is connected with the name of one of the Great Mughals – Akbar Jalal-ad-din. It was Akbar who turned it into the “crown regalia” of the Mughals, making it famous. However, Golconda itself (the capital of the sultanate, now an abandoned fortress near Hyderabad) was only a market where diamonds were bought and sold. The oldest and richest mines, where the largest historical stones were discovered, were located near the Kistna River. The largest and most unusual diamonds were found there, such as “Kohinoor”, “Black Orlov”, “Regent” and others. A yellowish elongated diamond, found among ordinary pebbles, immediately fell into the hands of the ruler of Golconda. The yellowish Shah diamond is of the Vaishya variety, and its shape is far from an ideal octahedron. In this regard, he did not stay in the hands of the Hindus and was sold to the ruler of Ahmednagar, a sultanate on the western coast of the Hindustan peninsula. The Sultan of Ahmednagar was the Muslim Burhan II. Indian superstitions about diamonds did not bother him much. But a huge elongated diamond is the finger of Allah! — struck the imagination. In addition, the vast flat facets of the diamond seemed to him ideal tablets of history on which to perpetuate his name. Burhan II was vain and even gave himself the title of Nizam Shah, that is, Lord of Order. As a result of many days of work by an unknown jeweler, the first inscription appeared, which dates back to 1591 AD. In other words, the Shah diamond is over 400 years old. But “Shah” did not grace the treasury of Burhan II for long. It was then that the Great Mogul Akbar, an outstanding statesman and military leader, ruled in Northern India. In 1595, his troops captured Ahmednagar and found this unique stone among the ruler’s jewelry. So the Shah diamond became the dynastic regalia of the Great Mughals. For more than forty years it lay in their treasury until it came to the attention of Shah Jahan, the grandson of the great Akbar. He also ordered a second inscription to be cut out on the edge of the diamond. “Son of Jahangir Shah Shah Jahan, 1051” (that is, 1641). In 1665, the Shah diamond was first seen by a European, the famous French traveler Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. In his diaries, he wrote that the Shah diamond was suspended from the Mughal throne and hung so that the person sitting on the throne could constantly see it in front of him. An oblong stone hung from the canopy, surrounded by emeralds and rubies. At its thinner end, a groove half a millimeter deep was made, which was covered by a silk thread, so that it could also be hung around the neck (like a talisman). Then the Shah diamond disappears from the sight of historians for more than a century and a half and appears in Tehran. Fath Ali Shah ruled here, who, to commemorate the next anniversary of his reign, ordered the third inscription “Shah” to be inscribed on the free face of the diamond. The masterpiece of ornamentation reads like this: “Lord Qajar Fath-Ali Shah Sultan, 1242” (that is, 1832). According to a strange pattern, the appearance of the next inscription on a diamond precedes turbulent historical events that end with a change of owner. Now the Shah diamond is in the Diamond Fund of the Moscow Kremlin. Among the diamond crown of the Russian Empire, the orb and the scepter, in which the Orlov diamond sparkles with a cold blue fire, an elongated stone the size of a little finger is almost invisible. An attentive visitor can see strange writing on it. Ready in this room of miracles for all sorts of encounters, he still won’t believe that the nondescript stone was valued at 80 thousand rubles in gold. Meanwhile, this is the “Shah” diamond. It is believed that he is a ransom for the blood of A. S. Griboedov. Is it so? During the conclusion of the Turkmanchay Treaty in Tehran on January 30, 1829, a crowd of fanatics, raised by the clergy, tore to pieces Griboyedov, who represented Russia. The smell of war was in the air. In the spring of the same year, a high embassy headed by Tsarevich Khozrev-Mirza left Tehran for St. Petersburg, carrying the price of blood – the Shah diamond. For a long time, this version was considered the only one in history, but now some scientists believe that in reality this was not quite the case. Apparently, the version that the diamond was payment for the death of A. S. Griboedov arose thanks to the story “The Death of Vazir-Mukhtar” by Yu. N. Tynyanov. But the orientalist V.F. Minorsky established back in the 1920s that the Russian Tsar did not even think of demanding the “price for the blood” of A.S. Griboyedov. The Russian government insisted on sending an embassy from Persia and punishing those responsible. The Shah of Persia, sending his delegation to St. Petersburg, pursued his own goals: he wanted to achieve a reduction in indemnity. Once upon a time, the Shah diamond framed with luxurious precious stones adorned the throne of the leader of the Great Mughals; for a long time it was owned by powerful Asian rulers. Now this legendary specimen is in the collection of the Diamond Fund of Russia. Its history is complex and rich in events, among which there are real tragedies.

History and description

“Shah” is not a diamond, since the gemstone does not have a characteristic cut. However, the diamond’s edges are polished and have 3 inscriptions. The slightly yellowish mineral is an elongated octahedron weighing 88,7 carats. Its shape is far from ideal by jewelry standards, but its transparency is impeccable. The diamond does not have any inclusions, cracks or other defects. The history of the stone originates from Indian mines. It was there in the 15th century. discovered this beautiful mineral. One of the first owners of the crystal was the Persian Sultan Burhan II. He ordered the first inscription to be made on the diamond. It is interesting that the master who was supposed to make the engraving found himself in a very difficult situation. After all, diamond has the highest hardness coefficient, it is impossible to scratch it. But the brilliant jeweler found a way out. He guessed that a diamond could be scratched with the same diamond. He collected diamond chips on the tip of the needle and patiently wrote on the stone an inscription, which translated from Persian meant “lord of order.” However, a year later, the Mughal Shah Akbar, who seized the state of Burhan, appropriated the jewel for himself. He did not appreciate her beauty and sent the trophy to one of his many treasuries. The diamond lay there for several decades. Only the Shah’s grandson Jihan remembered the Persian stone. By his decree, a second inscription was made on the crystal with the name and date of Jihan’s reign. The stone became a dynastic regalia. The diamond was hung in the center of the canopy that adorned the throne of the Mughal rulers, which was also called the “Peacock Throne.” Now the stone was always in the Khan’s field of vision. A shallow groove was carved into its thin end so that the stone could sometimes be worn around the neck. This was recorded in the middle of the 17th century. made by a French merchant who was the first European to see the legendary diamond. Soon the Mughal Empire fell into decline. Enemy states tore it apart. The diamond disappeared for a while. In the 18th century he ended up in Tehran in the treasury of Shah Fath Ali. In honor of the thirtieth anniversary of his reign, a third inscription was made on the stone.

Vir for diplomats

• Kashmiri carpets;
• gold candelabra;
• rare ancient manuscripts;
• pearl necklaces;
• sabers and other weapons.

Nicholas I, flattered by the treasures, suggested forgetting the Tehran incident. Although many historians are inclined to believe that this is just a sad legend.

The stone was immediately examined by the leading orientalists of the time, who gave it the name “Shah”. The jewel was later sent to the imperial treasury. For a long time the stone was kept in the Winter Palace.

After the civil war, it was taken to the Kremlin Armory, where Soviet academicians again studied the most beautiful crystal and compiled its description. During the difficult years of the formation of the new state, the Soviet government did not hesitate to sell former imperial treasures. However, the Persian gift, like most other historical precious stones, was preserved. Today, some of them can be admired at the Diamond Fund exhibitions in the Kremlin.