Legacy of The Peacock Throne

PERHAPS THE GREATEST but least understood love story ever told is that of the famous 17th century Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan and his beloved wife, the ethereal and enigmatic, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal monument he commissioned to declare his love for her upon her tragic death in 1631 remains unprecedented in five thousand years of recorded human history.


The chief architect of the building complex and grounds, Ahmed Lahori, labored for more than twenty years under the supervision of the Emperor and his court. He secured the skills of innumerable architects, builders, craftsmen and stonemasons from across the world to raise this unparalleled masterpiece of Islamic and Persian architecture. Since its completion, this bejeweled mausoleum along the banks of the river Yamuna in Agra, India has borne witness to the love Shah Jahan had for his beloved Queen.


“The Peacock Throne” was the name given to the exceptionally ornate throne built for Shah Jahan in 1635. Its columns and platform were embellished with precious gems including diamonds, emeralds, pearls, rubies and sapphires as well as several priceless Mughal heirlooms, most notably, the brilliant and enormous Kohinoor diamond. This pièce de résistance remains amongst the largest diamonds ever unearthed and has its ancient origins in Golconda’s Kollur diamond mines in the south central region of India. To this day, Golconda diamonds are distinguished by their exceptional brilliance, clarity and color.


The Persian invader, Nader Shah, seized the Kohinoor, along with Shah Jahan’s Peacock Throne when he invaded a considerably weaker Mughal Empire in 1739 but the diamond eventually found its way into the crown jewel collection of England when Queen Victoria was anointed Empress of India.


The lives of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz, and their extraordinary relationship are also the subject of my surreal novel. It’s an exciting, unique and wonderful story about Jannah and Qasim Ali, two twins from London who are students at Cambridge University in the early 1930’s. Jannah and Qasim are studying Mughal history during the age of the Emperor and his wife and are also their descendants.


The twins find themselves deeply frustrated at their inability to learn more about the historic love story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz, beyond what’s commonly known. But their sincere desire to gain deeper insights into Mughal court life and the lives of their forbears leads them on an incredible journey from Paris and London to Delhi and Agra, eventually immersing them into the splendid age of this most famous of Mughal Emperors. The consequences of their ambitions are dramatic and unpredictable while the challenges are dangerous and numerous. But their journey is beyond rewarding.


I hope you’ll enjoy the first of several novels with our main characters, Jannah and Qasim. Now please sit back in your coziest chair, make yourself comfortable and join the twins on their incredible journey.



Vicar Sayeedi

Chicago, London & Paris


On the Internet @

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17912294-legacy-of-the-peacock-throne