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Salghurid Abish Khatun
Copper Coin
Item number: A173
Year: AD 960-1214
Material: Copper
Size: 33.0 x 31.0 x 0.5 mm
Weight: 5.55 g
Provenance: Noonans 2022
This copper coin was minted during the reign of Queen Abish Khatun (r. AD 1264-1284), the last ruler of the Salghurid dynasty in the Fars Province of southern Iran, which was subservient to the Mongol Ilkhanate in the 13th century. On the obverse side of the coin, the Chinese character “Bao” is displayed in regular script, surrounded by Arabic script written counterclockwise. On the reverse , a hexagram adorned with geometric lines is depicted, with the Arabic inscription “Atabeg Abish” (اتابک ابش) in the center, denoting the title of the ruler of the Salghurid dynasty and the name of the queen.
The relative position of Chinese (orange) and Arabic (blue)：
The Salghurid dynasty was a branch of the Seljuk Empire (AD 1037-1194), which ruled over Central Asia and the Near East in the 11th century. Seizing the opportunity during the internal turmoil of the empire in AD 1148, they established control over the coastal regions of present-day southern Iran and declared their independence. Initially, the dynasty aligned itself with the dominant power in the Iranian plateau, the Khwarezmian Empire. However, in response of retaliatory expeditions launched by Genghis Khan against the Khwarezmians, Abu Bakr ibn Sa’d, the fifth ruler of the Salghurid dynasty, submitted to the Mongols, even sending his nephew to follow Ögedei Khan in exchange for autonomy.
Hulegu Khan later was proclaimed the ruler of the Ilkhanate, governing the Iranian territories. In AD 1263, Saljuk Shah ibn Salghur, the ninth ruler of the Salghurid dynasty, launched a rebellion which was swiftly suppressed by the Mongols. Following the quelling of the rebellion, Hulegu Khan appointed the underage granddaughter of Abu Bakr, Abish Khatun, as the new ruler. To ensure Mongol control over the Salghurid dynasty, Hulegu Khan arranged Abish Khatun to marry his eleventh son, Möngke Temür, and appointed his trusted aide, Unkianu, as the governor (Amir) and governor-general of Fars Province, where the dynasty was based, to closely monitor and exert control over the region.
According to historical records and the research of later scholars, the minister named Unkianu was likely an Buddhist Uyghur, the ancestors of today’s Uyghurs. As early as the era of Genghis Khan, the Uyghurs, with their mastery of writing and administrative systems, became a preferred choice of administrative officials for the Mongols. According to the research of Chinese scholars Chen Chunxiao and Cheng Tong, the appearance of the copper coin bearing the Chinese character “Bao” in Iran was facilitated by the significant role played by Unkianu. Despite the submission of the Salghurid dynasty to the Mongols, they retained the authority to mint coins locally. Unkianu utilized the local mints to produce three types of coins (two silver and one copper) bearing the character “Bao,” which were circulated in the region.
The Fars Province, controlled by the Salghurid dynasty with its capital at Shiraz, has historically been an important commercial port in Iran due to its coastal location. Commercial taxes constituted a significant source of wealth for the region. During the Mongol rule, in addition to frequent trade with China, these coastal areas also settled Han Chinese artisans. Judith Kolbas, in her work “The Mongols in Iran: Chingiz Khan to Uljaytu,” suggested that based on the material and style of these copper coins, they were likely used for local expenditures such as head taxes, but the presence of the character “bao” implies their use in trade with the East. It is reasonable to infer that during that time in the Fars Province, there was already a close commercial relationship with China and possibly even a Han Chinese community established there.
According to the Persian historical text “Vassaf al-Hazrat,” Unkianu executed the official of the Salghurid dynasty. In response, Abish Khatun protested to Hulegu Khan, accusing Unkianu of “minting symbols of the Khitan (China) in the name of the Khan and presenting a list of his unlawfully acquired possessions.” Hulegu Khan had no choice but to send Unkianu to Kublai Khan for discipline. At this time, the Ilkhanate ruled by Hulegu Khan still recognized the paramountcy of the Mongol Khan. When Kublai Khan defeated his younger brother Ariq Böke in AD 1264 and became the Great Khan, he declared the Ilkhanate to be equal to the Yuan Dynasty (the Mongol heartland) as a reward for the support of Hulegu in the conflicts for the Khanate. Similarly, according to “Vassaf al-Hazrat,” when a new ruler, Abaqa Khan, ascended to power in the Ilkhanate, a rebellion occurred in the Fars Province under the rule of Abish Khatun in AD 1282. Abaqa Khan suppressed the rebellion and brought Abish Khatun to the capital, Tabriz, where she was placed under house arrest until her death, marking the end of the Salghurid dynasty.
薩爾古禮里德王朝控制的法爾斯省和首都設拉子（Shiraz），由於臨海自古便是伊朗重要的商港，商業稅是該地區重要的財富來源。這些沿海地帶在蒙古統治時期跟中國頻繁的貿易外，更有漢人工匠的定居。學者Judith Kolbas在著作《The Mongols in Iran: Chingiz Khan to Uljaytu》指出，從銅幣的材質和樣式判斷，該錢幣應該是用於上繳人頭稅等地方開支，但「寶」字卻似乎表明其用於東方貿易。可以合理推測當時在法爾斯省地區，已經有形成跟中國密切來往的商貿甚至是漢人社群。
