Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Ilkhanate Abu Sa’id
Gold Dinar
伊兒汗國 不賽因 金第納爾
Item number: A162
Year: AD 1330-1335
Material: Gold
Size: 22.0 x 22.0 mm
Weight: 9.09 g
Manufactured by: Jajarm, Iran
Provenance: Heritage Auctions 2023
This is a gold coin minted by the ninth ruler of the Ilkhanate, Abu Sa’id Bahadur Khan (r. AD 1317-1335).
On the obverse side of the coin, the central inscription in Arabic Kufic script bears the Shahada: “There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” Along the margin, in a clockwise direction from the top, are the names of the four Orthodox Caliphs of Islam: Abu Bakr (ابو بكر), Umar (عمر), Uthman (عثمان), and Ali (على).
On the reverse side of this coin, there are three lines of larger-sized text, arranged from top to bottom. The first line, in Arabic script, glorifies the ruler with the words “The Sultan is the messenger of justice.” In the middle, written in Uyghur script, is “Abu Sa’id.” Below, in Arabic, it reads “Bahadur Khan (i.e., Abu Sa’id) ensures his reign is everlasting.” Additionally, in the center with smaller font, there are two lines indicating the minting location of the coin, stating that it was minted in “Jajarm” (جاجرم), located in the northeastern province of North Khorasan in Iran. Jajarm was an important minting center for the Ilkhanate. The Arabic inscription along the margin follows the Ilkhanate’s calendar system, indicating the year of minting.
During his reign, Abu Sa’id continued the financial policies of his uncle and father, the two previous rulers, by steadily decreasing the weight of coins and issuing several different styles of currency. This gold coin represented the last type of currency issued during his reign. Also, Reign of Abu Sa’id marked the conclusion of the last peaceful period for the Ilkhanate. Following his death, the Ilkhanate plunged into division and internal strife. It wasn’t until the 14th century that the Turko-Mongol power from Central Asia, the Timurid Empire, once again unified the authorities on the Iranian plateau.
Sheila S. Blair, “The Coins of the Later Ilkhānids: Mint Organization, Regionalization, and Urbanism,” Museum Notes (American Numismatic Society), 1982, pp. 211-230
Sheila S. Blair, “The Coins of the Later Ilkhanids: A Typological Analysis,” Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 1983, pp. 295-317