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Crown Jewels of Iran --- Nader Shah Afshar is by Iranians regarded as one of Iran's most heroic and celebrated kings. He is often referred to as the "Napoleon of Iran". This emperor ruled Iran from 1736-1747 AD. In 1738 he launched a massive campaign east-wards and conquered Kabul, Kandahar, Lahore and Delhi. His mission was to regain the treasures of Persia which were lost to Afghan invaders when the raided the Persian capital Isfahan, and which had mostly ended up in the courts of Indian maharajas and at the court of the Moghul emperor in Delhi. He had written several letters to the Moghul emperor, Mohammad Shah, asking him to return the looted treasures to Persia. When his letters remained unanswered, Nader Shah decided to go and get all the jewels himself. The world's largest diamond - the Kooh-i-Noor - was one of the many items which the Safavids of Persia had lost during the Afghan raid and which Nader Shah returned to Iran.
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North Africa/Middle East
