Fascinating History. Interesting Medieval Incidents from Indian and Middle Eastern past.

The very name of Golconda evokes images of glittering, grand diamonds. Its mines have produced a galaxy of famous diamonds that have dazzled the royal as well as the common people. The word 'Golconda' itself now stands for diamonds of highest purity with nearly total absence of nitrogen atoms. Merriam-webster dictionary explains that 'By the 1880s, "Golconda" was being used generically by English speakers to refer to any particularly rich mine, and later to any source of great wealth'. For long centuries, from 2500 years ago till early 18th century, the Deccan mines, most in the state of Golconda, were the only source of diamonds in the world -except for a very small quantity produced in the island of Borneo. For this article, multiple sources have been used but especially the credible 'Diamonds in the Deccan' by SV Satayanaryan and 'Six voyages by JB Tavernier'. Tavernier's account is especially fascinating. He was gem trader and diamo...

Persian invasion of India in 1739 under Nadir Shah was the greatest armed heist in the history of the world. The accumulated wealth of the previous three centuries, estimated at the then value of rupees 70 crore, was looted from Delhi and taken to Persia. It included such famed treasures as Koh-i-Noor (now in crown jewels of UK), Golconda d'or (Last stolen from Melbourne), Shah diamond (currently at Kremlin Diamond Fund), Darya-a-Noor (In Central Bank of Iran), the Great Mughal diamond (since lost) and the Peacock throne. Also included in this list is the famed 'Akbar Shah' diamond, whose history I describe here. The stone is, or was, remarkable because the names of the three greatest Mughal emperors, i.e. Akbar, Jahangir and Shahjahan were elegantly inscribed on its sides. To preserve its history, the years of inscription were also mentioned along with the names. The diamond is also known as 'Lustre of the Peacock throne' because it is said to have adorned an eye...

During his invasion and massacre of Delhi, Nadir Shah acquired a number of jewels and artefacts from the Mughal treasure vaults. It is said that accumulated wealth of 350 years changed hands in one day. This is the story of ' Golconda d'or ', one of the diamonds stolen from Mughal treasury by nadir Shah. For this article, I have mainly relied on Dr Shihaan Larif, the founder of the Internet Stones.com, who is an authority on history and trading of precious stones. Before diamond mining commenced in Brazil in 1730 and in South Africa in the late 19th century, Golconda, near Indian city of Hyderabad, was the only regular producer of diamonds in the world for two millennia and is known for having produced high quality colourless diamonds. The Golconda d'or diamond is said to be one of the few yellow diamonds discovered from this site. The mines, whose exact location remains unknown, were eventually abandoned in mid 18th century because of exhaustion. This diamond is one...

Following the horrific murder of Floyd George at the hands of police in Minneapolis US, a mini revolution is taking place across the globe. Every past military and civil hero is being re-evaluated in light of their role or support for slavery and racial injustice. Statues of Thomas Jefferson, one of the leading fathers of US independence and democracy, and Mahatma Gandhi, the prophet of non-violence and peaceful resistance, are being vandalized and toppled for their racial past. Story books, national medals, and even religious concepts are being badlisted (an alternate, politically correct word being offered here for ‘blacklisted’). In Rawalpindi-Islamabad, on the western side of GT Road, as it crosses the Margalla Pass close to Taxila, there stands a 40-feet tall obelisk, called Nicholson's memorial. It was erected in 1868 to honour Brigadier General John Nicholson of the British East India Company, one of the most demonical beasts produced by the English race. While the British ...

Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, US has many acclaimed laurels to its credit. This Ivy League university is amongst the three oldest institutions of higher learning in US and one of the only nine colleges chartered before the American revolution. It awarded the first PhD degree on American soil in 1861. It is a reputed to be a liberal educational institution, located in one of the original thirteen colonies that gave the US its national status and its constitution. Yale has continuously been rated as the 3rd ranking university in US for the last 15 years, trailing behind Princeton and Harvard only. Its library is the third largest university library in the US holding 15 million volumes. Its endowment is valued at $27.2 billion, the second largest of U.S. educational institutions. 60 Noble laureates, 5 Fields medallists for excellence in mathematics and 3 Turing awardees for distinction in computer sciences have been associated with it. Its alumni include 5 US presidents, 19 ...

On the eve of 71st anniversary of our independence, let's pay homage to a forgotten hero of First war of Independence in 1857. This leader of that great crisis is Azimullah Khan Yusufzai. He is also sometimes called 'Krantidoot' - Hindi for 'ambassador of revolution'. Great struggles elevate ordinary souls to heroic deeds. The War of Independence of 1857 was a clash of epic proportions. First the sepoys and then other Indians in the northern belt, from Bengal in the east through Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh to Punjab, rose up in revolt against British occupation. The revolt did not occur throughout the sub-continent and remained restricted in varying degree to certain areas and sections of society. Some influential local rulers were prudent or constrained to side with the British. These included such honourable names as Hayat of Wah, Nizam of Hyderabad, Abbasi of Bahawalpur, Nawab of Bhopal, Maharaja of Patiala and the Rajputs of Rajputana states. Of the three ...

Two-hundred years long anti-colonial struggle produced many brave noble souls. They stood against the foreign occupiers at the peril of losing their wealth, comfort and even life. It is our obligation to recall the sacrifices and tribulations of those who willingly suffered in this long endeavour for freedom. They include names of some very noble ladies too. One of these honourable freedom fighters is Begum Hazrat Mahal of Oudh, who stood up against the British during the 1st War of Independence in1857-58, commanded her troops in battles, refused to surrender and, spurring offers of clemency, eluded capture by the pursuing British forces to escape to Nepal, and lived a life of hardship in exile in Kathmandu. She now lies buried there in a non-descript grave . Hazrat Mahal was the one of major leaders who didn't surrender to the British, and she maintained her opposition through twenty years of exile in Nepal until her death in 1879. Before narrating the story of Hazrat Mahal, a b...