The Koh-i-Noor diamond (also Koh-i-Nur or Kūh-e Nūr) is one of the largest and most famous cut diamonds in the world. It was most likely found in southern India between 1100 and 1300. The name of the stone is Persian meaning ‘Mountain of Light’ and refers to its astounding size - originally 186 carats (today 105.6).
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Definition
Timeline
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1100 - 1300Possible period in which the Koh-i-Noor diamond was discovered in the Golconda mines in India.
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1526Likely the first written reference to the Koh-i-Noor diamond in the memoirs of the Mughal emperor Babur.
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1526An alternative theory suggests this date as when the Raja of Gwalior gave the Mughal emperors the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
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c. 1650An alternative theory that the Mughal emprors acquired the Koh-i-Noor diamond from the Kollur mines of the Krishna River.
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1739The Persian leader Nader Shah acquires the Koh-i-Noor diamond after victory over the Mughal Empire and the capture of Delhi.
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1747Ahmad Shah, founder of the Durani Dynasty of rulers in Afghanistan, acquires the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
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1813Maharaja Ranjit Singh, ruler of the Punjab, acquires the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
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1849Following victory in the Anglo-Sikh Wars and as part of the ensuing peace treaty, the East India Company acquires the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
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Jul 1850The Koh-i-Noor diamond is presented to Queen Victoria.
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1851The Koh-i-Noor diamond is presented to the public at the Great Exhibition in London.
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1852The Koh-i-Noor diamond is cut into an oval brilliant, reducing its weight from 186 to 105.6 carats.
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1902The Koh-i-Noor diamond is set into the coronation crown of Queen Alexandra.
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1911The Koh-i-Noor diamond is set into the coronation crown of Queen Mary.
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1937The Koh-i-Noor diamond is set into the coronation crown of Queen Elizabeth, consort of George VI.