DOHA/HYDERABAD (RAHNUMA) The world’s largest engraved emerald gemstone — known as The Mogul Mughal Emerald, weighing an astonishing 217.80 carats — once belonged to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir (r. 1658–1707).
Dating back to 1695, this exquisite rectangular tablet of deep green emerald is inscribed in elegant naskh script with a benediction invoking blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, his noble daughter Fatima al-Zahra, and the Immaculate Twelve Imams of his blessed household, concluding with the words “wal-Mahdi al-Qaim.”
The precious gem was acquired from Christie’s London for $2.2 million USD by the Al Thani Collection Foundation, overseen by members of the Qatar Royal Family, and is now proudly displayed at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha — one of the world’s leading institutions dedicated to Islamic civilization and Mughal heritage.
The translation of the inscription reads:
“O Merciful One, O Compassionate One, O God. God bless Muhammad and ‘Ali and Fatima and al-Husayn, and al-Hasan and ‘Ali, and Muhammad and Ja’far, and Musa and ‘Ali, and Muhammad and ‘Ali and al-Hasan and the Steadfast [al-Qaim] al-Mahdi.”
This magnificent emerald tablet stands as a luminous symbol of India’s Mughal artistic mastery and the empire’s devotion to sacred calligraphy. Now preserved under the patronage of Qatar’s ruling Al Thani Family, it bridges the legacies of Mughal India and the Islamic world, uniting royal heritage, devotion, and craftsmanship in one extraordinary artifact.
