The King

6. Sheikh Aqasi

The father of the shah had been a superstitious king. When the situation demanded that a decision be made, he never had the nerve to act. Usually it was his wife Mahdolia who cast the die. She would then consult with Sheikh Aqasi, who had an unorthodox view of things.

Sheikh Aqasi had been the late king’s confidant. He was neither a minister nor an advisor, but he was in contact with invisible forces. If the king was at his wits’ end, Sheikh Aqasi could calm him with his insights, prayers and cryptic holy writings. The king saw him as an extension of a divine power.

Sheikh Aqasi had a long grey beard and he always wore a long coat of thin white cloth. It was known that he could see into the future and that he had the gift of prophecy. Rumour had it that by reading the stars he could make the impossible possible. On one occasion the king had demanded the head of one of his enemies, and Sheikh Aqasi made sure he got it.

The sheikh dwelt in a peaceful country house in the mountains, where he could withdraw from the world. He lived simply and had no other property or possessions. The late king believed in him unquestioningly, which is why he was chosen to hear the king’s royal secrets. The new shah was afraid of the sheikh’s otherworldliness, but at the same time he knew he might need him in the future.

On the evening that he was to take the newly appointed shah to see the Indian treasures, Sheikh Aqasi went to the hall of mirrors. Opening his arms like a father he walked up to the shah and pressed a kiss on his shoulder. ‘Your Majesty, your father has gone down like a full moon and you have risen like a young moon.’

‘You are dear to us,’ said the shah. ‘Father has passed away, but he left us with you and your wisdom.’ He then walked into the adjoining room where he held his confidential conversations, sat down on a green satin chair and bade the sheikh sit beside him.

‘We are listening,’ said the shah, who could barely contain his excitement.

‘Your mother has ordered me to show you the cellar,’ said the sheikh calmly. ‘But first I would like to present Your Majesty with a confidential letter. It is the royal last will and testament that your father left for you.’ And with that he took a sealed envelope from his inner pocket.

The shah broke the lacquer seal and read the letter, which was indeed written in his father’s hand.

My son, the glory days of the Persian Empire are over. Circumstances have made me a weak king. I have been forced to relinquish two large parts of the country to the Russians, and it was as if they had chopped off both my legs with an axe. I will have to take this interminable pain with me to the grave. You know the British have taken possession of Herat, the jewel in our crown, to impede the Russians in their passage to India. They want to give Herat to the Afghanis in order to maintain full control of the area. My son, do all you can to regain our precious Herat. If you fail, Herat will cause you everlasting torment and our descendants will never forgive us. It will be very difficult, but I hope you have the courage of your grandfather. My tears have fallen on this letter. Long live Persia.

The shah sat motionless in his chair for a moment, the letter in his hand. His father’s last will and testament was a serious directive that he could not simply ignore.

Sheikh Aqasi, who thought he saw traces of distress in the shah’s face, turned to him and intoned, ‘The stars promise a glorious time for the shah. Your mother and I know the contents of the letter. I have seen in the movement of the stars that the shah will recapture Herat and that he will humiliate the British and push them deep into India.’

The shah looked at the sheikh and smiled. He folded up the letter and tucked it away in his inner pocket.

‘Your Majesty, allow me to perform my duties. For a long time the Indian booty was in the hands of one of the grandsons of Nader the Great. Your grandfather beheaded almost all of Nader’s male descendants until he finally discovered where the booty was hidden. He built a cellar beneath the cellar and put the treasures there.’ Then the sheikh picked up a lantern.

The shah thought he was going to bring him to the palace’s regular cellar, but to his surprise the sheikh led him to the shah’s own bedroom and locked the door from the inside. He closed the curtains and opened the shah’s closet. Then he took the clothing out of the closet and put it on the bed. Reaching into his jacket he produced a long key. He then shone a lantern into the closet and found a hole in the back panel into which he inserted the key. A small door opened and a cold draught blew in that made the shadows on the walls quiver.

‘The shah must be careful,’ said the sheikh. He wriggled his way through the opening with difficulty and disappeared into the darkness. Curious, the shah followed him.

‘There is a small stairway here,’ said the sheikh.

Shah Naser followed Sheikh Aqasi along the narrow tunnel, groping the wall with his hand.

‘At the end of this tunnel there is another stairway, followed by an even narrower tunnel, another stairway and a short tunnel. Then we will be in the treasury,’ said his guide.

At the end of the short tunnel a small door became visible, which the sheikh opened with another key. Once again he went first and the shah followed.

The shah was astounded. He saw a large room filled with jewels and golden objects that glittered in the light of the lantern.

‘Welcome to history,’ announced the sheikh.

‘This is truly astonishing. A remarkable secret. But why did they make the door so small?’

‘To make it difficult to remove the large objects. There’s another secret door, however, that serves as the exit. That’s for emergencies — if the shah suddenly has to leave the palace. The tunnel ends in a small cave, through which you can flee in safety. Someday I will show you the cave,’ said the sheikh, lighting a couple of candles in a niche.

Shah Naser was overwhelmed by the riches that were revealed in the dim light. He saw gold and silver chests and a magnificent chair shaped like a peacock, studded with precious stones. Everywhere there were golden sculptures, plates and candlesticks. Then the sheikh opened a box before the shah’s very eyes and said humbly, ‘Your Majesty.’

The shah was struck dumb at the sight of the largest blue diamond in the world, the Sea of Light. He did not know a precious stone could be so big and so enchanting.

The sheikh opened another box and said, ‘Look, Your Majesty!’

There lay the second wonder, the second-largest diamond in the world, which bore the name Mountain of Light. Once again the shah was speechless. He looked all around him. It was just as his mother had described: rare antique gold crowns, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and robes that had belonged to the kings and queens of India. Shah Naser opened a bag full of rubies and emeralds and let them run through his fingers. ‘Delightful,’ he murmured. He walked up to a large bed made of special hardwood and inlaid with precious stones, and he inspected the firmness of the well-stuffed mattress. Dropping onto it he stretched out full length.

‘Exceptional,’ he said. ‘It’s as if I had landed in a fairy tale.’

Lying there he looked at the abundance of swords, boots, plates and glasses arranged on the shelves and hanging from the walls. This profusion of heavenly colour couldn’t have come from the kings and queens; it must have come from the gods. These were bits of history, of life. Fate had brought them here and preserved them. Now he must protect them and keep them safe.

‘This is the spirit of India,’ said the shah to himself, ‘the India that the British, the Russians and the French want for their own. No one is to know what lies hidden here. No one. It is ours, Persia’s.’

Sheikh Aqasi nodded and handed him the two keys.