The Treasury of National Jewels of Iran, also known as the National Jewels
Museum, is an incomparable collection of precious and stunning jewels collected
over centuries. This museum, which is one of the most important attractions of
Iran, is located on Ferdowsi Street in Tehran and it is owned by Central Bank
of Iran. These fantastic jewels are a part of Iran’s culture and history and
they have survived wars and robberies.
The kings of Safavid dynasty started to collect the precious jewels in Iran
and bought new jewels from India, Ottoman and Europe to decorate their capital,
Isfahan. When Mahmoud Afghan occupied Iran during Afsharid dynasty, he
plundered the treasury and sent it to India. Nader Shah, King of Afshari
dynasty, campaigned to India and took back the collection, but many of the
jewels were lost on the way back. After Nader shah was murdered in 1747 B.C,
the treasure was plundered once again and the legendary Kuh- e Nur, which is one of the
world’s biggest pieces of diamond, got locked in Tower of London. Today this collection, which was promoted by Qajar and Pahlavi rulers, is
kept in the Central bank of Iran and the shiny Kuh-e Nur is back home!
 |
| The Kuh- e Nur diamond. |
