For ages I’ve been fascinated by the world’s most famous diamond, also known as the Mountain of Fire… and William Dalrymple’s book is quite a gripping read. The side stories of people who wore, guarded or were involved with the Koh-i-Noor over the years makes for and interesting, entertaining read.
If you don’t care much about the precious gem that’s the subject of myth and lore, you may not really enjoy reading an entire fact-laden book about it.
But if passages like this intrigue you, you’ll love it:
“On 16th May, 1739, after 57 catastrophic days in Delhi, Nadir Shah finally left the city, carrying with him the accumulated wealth of eight generations of imperial Mughal conquest. The loot was loaded on to 700 elephants, 4,000 camels and 12,000 horses carrying wagons all laden with gold, silver and precious stones.”
All in all, a decent historic account, sprinkled with just the right proportion of myth and legend, about a stone that has captured the hearts and minds of many generations… told by a masterful history story-teller.
Pick up ‘Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond‘ here: