Diamond "Shah".

Full of riddles and mysteries of the history of the world famous diamond "Shah", because of which were ruined dozens of lives. The value of three centimeters, clean, clear, slightly yellowish on the surface, it weighs 88, 7 carats. The diamond was found among ordinary pebbles on the river Golconda in India more than 500 years ago. It has retained its natural form, only a few facets of his polished.


Thin sticks dipped into a fine diamond powder, the ancient scribes engraved on one side of the stone, "Burhan Nizam Shah second. 1000 ". It is this inscription lettering made on the orders of its former owners, and helped to reconstruct the history of stone.

In our chronology 1000th year corresponds to 1591-th year. It was then that the rules in Northern India Great Mogul Akbar, whose troops captured Ahmadgor among the jewels of the ruler Ahmadgora found this unique stone.
In 1738 the Indian city of Delhi, where there was a stone, Nadir Shah attacked. He sent the diamond to Persia, and Persia in the stone, a third inscription: "Lord of the Qajar-Faht Ali Shah. Sultan. 1242 ».
At the end of January 1829 during the riots broke out in Tehran was killed by Russian Ambassador Alexander Griboyedov, the author of the famous comedy "Woe from Wit". The murder of a diplomat of great power threatened with serious complications, and
Petersburg was sent a special delegation headed by the son of Abbas Mirza - Prince Khozrev Mirza. To atone for the Persian people, he suggested that Russia take the most precious thing of the Persian crown - diamond "Shah».

However, in reality things were not quite so. Orientalist VF Minorsky back in the 20s of this century found that the Russian tsar and did not think to demand "price of blood»
Russian government insisted on the sending of embassies from Persia and punishment of perpetrators. Persian shah, sending a delegation to St. Petersburg, pursued his goal: he wanted to reduce the indemnity.
According to Turkmenchay Treaty in 1828, Persia was to pay Russia ten curare indemnity that was 20 million rubles. Indemnities was very hard to Persia, for its payment were sent to be melted down gold chandeliers Shah's palace, the wife of the Shah and the court passed the diamond buttons. But still managed to collect only eight curare.

Insulted requests Khosrow Mirza and his gifts, which included not only the diamond "Shah" but two Kashmiri carpet, a pearl necklace, twenty ancient manuscripts, swords, and other precious things, according to the Shah of Persia, had to soften the heart of the Russian tsar.

Gifts have done their job: the Russian tsar gave up a single Kurara contributions and a five-year deferred payment of another. So to claim that a diamond "Shah" is the "price of blood" Griboyedov, it can be a very big stretch.