Mention the "Crown Jewels" and you'll likely immediately conjure in your mind the pomp and ceremony of the British monarchy. In 2023, the world got a rare glimpse of a couple of impressive crowns from the collection on the heads of Charles III and his wife Camilla. The Crown of Queen Mary, worn by the new queen, is notable for having three large diamonds cut from the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, the Cullinan Diamond.
Of course, the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom aren't the world's only collection of royal ceremonial objects. In the regalia of monarchies around the world, there are crown jewels that are equally dazzling and have a fascinating history stretching back centuries. One such example is the Iranian Crown Jewels, properly known as the Iranian National Jewels, which include various elaborate crowns, numerous tiaras, a dozen swords and shields, and a number of unset precious gems. If you're visiting Iran, you can drop by the Treasury of the National Jewels, situated inside the Central Bank of Iran on Tehran's Ferdowsi Avenue, and see for yourself some of the most precious bejewelled objects in the world.
Among the most important of the priceless jewels on display are the Daria-i-Noor, the world's largest known pink diamond, and another pink diamond, the Noor-ul-Ain, with almost identical colour and clarity. These two storied diamonds are believed to have been cut from the same huge pink stone, named the Great Table diamond, which was once studded in the throne of Shah Jahan, the fifth Muslim emperor of the Mughal Empire.
THE DARIA-I-NOOR
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Denne historien er fra AG 160-utgaven av ASIAN Geographic.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Revealed Doctor Yellow
Japan Railways' special lemony Shinkansen is a rare sight to behold
The Mighty Yellow
Over 5,000 kilometres long and flowing through nine provinces and autonomous regions, the Yellow River is China's second largest, after the Yangtze, while its basin is deemed the cradle of Chinese civilisation
Wildlife Big Yellow Beauty
The popular "amelanistic" form of the Burmese python is considered among the most beautiful snakes - if that's your sort of thing
All That Glitters Is Gold
From Turkey to China, the yellow metal plays a central role in cultural practices and is coveted as a symbol of affluence and status
Chengdu Hotel Spotlight TRIKA TSANG INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
For an authentic taste of Tibet in the heart of Chengdu, the most luxurious option is the majestic Trika Tsang International Hotel.
Conservation Yellow in Peril
While the demand for use in traditional Chinese medicine is putting seahorses under pressure, it is damaging non-selective fishing that is driving depletion
History Spiritual Rebirth
During the Spanish Golden Age, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan achieved the first European navigation to Asia via the Pacific, arriving in the Philippines in 1521 and claiming the islands for Spain. But by converting the first Filipinos to Catholicism, Magellan also instigated the Christianisation of the entire archipelago, a spiritual rebirth celebrated through the two most important festivals in the Philippines - Fiesta Señor and Sinulog.
Green Dreams
With its tea plantations and rice paddies, dense jungles and expansive forests, the region is well known as a green paradise. But many of the most impressive Asian landscapes have names you may never have heard of. Journey with us as we reveal just some of the incredible locations that make the rest of the world green with envy!
Life On The Edge
In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, in the remote northern Russian Far East, indigenous ethnic groups like the Chukchi and the Yupik live in the most extreme conditions, hunting seals in their traditional kayaks as they have for millennia
The Karakoram Anomaly Decoded
For decades, scientists have believed that glaciers in the Karakoram Range are defying the trend of those across the globe-resisting glacial melt due to human-induced global warming. But as we trek up the Karakoram's second-longest glacier in July, as the United Nations announces the world's hottest ever month on record, does the melting ice beneath our feet suggest the so-called Karakoram Anomaly is slowing? Or is there a ray of hope it will continue to delay the inevitable?
