The Dazzling History of the Iranian Crown Jewels

The Museum of The Treasury of National Iranian Jewels, situated at the Ferdowsi Avenue, Teheran, Iran, contains one of the world's largest, dazzling and most precious collection of jewels, consisting of pieces that may perhaps be as old as the ancient Iranian monarchies that existed 2,500 years ago. The royal courts of the kings of the Sassanid empire who ruled between 224 AD and 642 AD were famous for their splendor and material wealth. During the period of Khosrau Parviz, the grandson of Khosrau I, who reigned between 590 to 628 AD, the Sassanid empire attained its greatest heights in terms of material wealth, having expanded the empire to include territories such as Anatolia, Syria, Jerusalem and Egypt. The courts of Khosrau Parviz became internationally famous for its priceless possessions and other valuable treasures that included jewels and jewelry.

Most of the items in the National Iranian Jewels were acquired by the Shahs of the Safavid dynasty who ruled between 1501 and 1722 AD. The first Shah of the Safavid dynasty, Shah Ismail I, was successful in unifying the whole of Iran as an independent country since the 7th century AD. The 221 year period of Safavid rule was a period of relative stability and prosperity, that led to the compilation of a priceless treasury of gems and jewelry. The outstanding ruler of the Safavid dynasty was Abbas I, whose 41-year rule between 1588 and 1629, saw the construction of a new capital city at Esfahan, with palaces, mosques, schools and bridges, most of which still stand today and are renowned for their unique Islamic architecture. Abbas developed trade ties with the west and the country became rich and prosperous during his rule. According to John Baptist Tavernier, and other western travelers to the east the Safavid court had a priceless collection of jewels and jewelry, and they took maximum care in inventorying and preserving the collection, which at that time was already renowned as one of the world's most prestigious and largest jewelry collections.

The Origins of the Jewels

The origin of the jewels and jewelry of this vast and impressive collection, that was preserved in the Safavid treasury could be categorized as follows:

1. Jewels and jewelry that were inherited from previous rulers.
2. Gifts sent in by foreign kings and local rulers, such as governors of the provinces.
3. War booties acquired after foreign conquests.
4. Items purchased from jewelry dealers such as John Baptiste Tavernier, Knight Chardin and others.
5. Gifts brought in by the emissaries of the Safavid kings to the Ottoman empire, European countries and India.
6. Gems extracted from the mines at Khorasan and Turkestan.
7. Mothers-of-Pearl caught in the Persian Gulf.

The Plunder and Restoration of the Jewels

In 1722, the young and ambitious Afghan ruler of Kandahar, Mahmud, having built up an army of 20,000 men invaded Iran, and besieged the capital Esfahan for six months, and finally conquered it. Shah Sultan Hussain was captured and executed. The Afghan army plundered the city and carried away the vast collection of jewels and jewelry belonging to the Safavid treasury. Most of these jewels eventually ended up in the court of the Mogul rulers of North India, in Delhi and Agra, sold by the Afghan looters of the Safavid treasures.

Nadir, after successfully driving all foreign forces out and uniting the whole country diverted his attention towards expansion of the Iranian kingdom by conquest of foreign lands. By the time he installed himself as the Shah of Iran under the name Nadir Shah, in 1736, he had already conquered Azerbaijan, Iraq, the Caspian provinces of the Russian empire, Oman, Bahrain, and the Afghan province of Herat. Then his attention was diverted towards other provinces of Afghanistan and the Indian sub-continent. According to some historians Nadir Shah's Indian Campaign was mainly motivated by the need for money to make his kingdom financially viable. The booty he carried away after capturing the Mogul capitals of Delhi and Agra included several heavily jewel encrusted thrones, large chests filled with diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies. Among the famous diamonds included in booty were the Koh-i-Noor, the Darya-i-Noor, the Nur-ul-Ain, the Agra, the Orlov, the Shah, the Shah Jahaan, and the Taj-i-Mah diamonds.

After Nadir Shah's assassination by his own troops in 1747, the Iranian treasury was looted by the commanders of the army who were close to him. This included the commander of his Afghan bodyguard Ahmad Khan Abddali who carried away several valuable pieces of jewels and jewelry that included the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond. Others who laid their hands upon at least part of the jewels were Shah Rukh, Nadir Shah's own blind grandson, the Qajar chief Mohammed Hassan Khan Qajar, and Mohammed Karim Khan Zand.

The Safeguarding of the Jewels

Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar who eventually re-united the whole country, took a lot of pains in re-assembling the treasures of the Afsharid treasury and his nephew and successor Fath Ali Shah (1797-1834), continued to protect and expand the collection in the royal treasury. Fath Ali Shah is said to have adorned himself with many items of this collection during his court appearances. It was under Fath Ali Shah's orders the famous Naderi bed, the Takhte Tavoos bed and the Kiani Crown were constructed.

Nasser-ed-Din Shah (1848-96) also expanded the collection further. He purchased 48 pieces of yellow diamonds of varying sizes and of South African origin during his several visits to Europe. In fact Nasser-ed-Din Shah is credited to be the first monarch in the world to have purchased such a lot of yellow diamonds, giving a boost to the image of these diamonds, which were then considered to be sub-standard and worthless.

After the Islamic revolution of 1979, the Iranian Crown Jewels still remain in the treasury of the Central Bank, and has been named the Treasury of National Iranian Jewels. The dazzling collection continues to be one of the most prized possessions of the Iranian nation, a testament to the rich history and cultural heritage of the country.