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Ilkhanate Muhammad Khan
Gold Dinar
伊兒汗國 麻合馬 金第納爾
Item number: A163
Year: AD 1336-1338
Material: Gold
Size: 20.5 x 19.5 mm
Weight: 6.69 g
Manufactured by: Tabriz, Iran
Provenance: Heritage Auctions 2023
In AD 1335, following the demise of Abu Sa’id, the ninth ruler of the Ilkhanate, the empire plunged into a state of warlordism, with members of the royal family becoming puppets of various warlords. This gold coin was from the nominal twelfth ruler of the Ilkhanate, Muhammad Khan, who ruled from AD 1336 to AD 1338, and it was minted in the former capital of the empire, Tabriz.
On both sides of the gold coin, there are decorative circular beadings along the outer edge. On the obverse side of the gold coin, following the Islamic artistic tradition of the Ilkhanate, the central inscription in Arabic Kufic script bears the Shahada: “There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” Surrounding this legend, in a clockwise direction starting 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, in the center, the name and praises of the Muhammad Khan are inscribed in Arabic. Surrounding this central inscription are details indicating the date and place of minting of the gold coin.
With the passing of Abu Sa’id, the Ilkhanate in the western regions splintered into competing factions led by Shaikh Hasan Buzurg of the Jalayirid family and Hasan Kucek of the Chobanid family, each supporting different royal claimants. Initially, Muhammad Khan was supported as a ruler by the Jalayirid faction in the former capital of Tabriz. However, in AD 1338, the Chobanid forces defeated the Shaikh Hasan Buzurg, seizing control of Tabriz, and Muhammad Khan was captured and subsequently killed. Shortly thereafter, the Jalayirids and Chobanids established independent states with Baghdad and Azerbaijan as their respective capital, dividing the western territories of the Ilkhanate between them.