Islamic Coins

Lot 2384       Islamic Coins

Estimate $1,800
Bid at live.noble.com.au

THE MONGOL GREAT KHANS, Chingiz Khan (Genghis Khan), (A.H. 603-624) (A.D. 1206-1227), gold dinar, Ghazana mint (Ghazni south-eastern Afghanistan), (6.49 grams), A.H. 618 = A.D. 1221-1222, with full title and name on reverse 'The Khan of Khans, The Just, The Most Mighty, Genghiz Khan', (cf.A. 1964 [RRR], M.-, BMC -, Kazan.-, ). Weak and flat on a third of the coin, otherwise, very fine and very rare.

A similar example was sold in our sale 51 for $2200. This example is part of a small hoard of less than 50 coins recently placed on the market. Album notes that only a few gold dinars of this coin type survive with Genghis Khan name in the legend. He rates the issue extremely rare [RRR] and quantifies that by stating that such a coin is almost never available. All known examples are poorly struck. This coin is of great historical interest and rarity. The Mongols, pastoral nomads of the Central Asian steppes, erupted from their homeland around Karakorum in Russian Turkestan, under their Chief Khan, Genghiz during the years A.d. 1206-1227. The epic began three decades earlier when Temujin acceeded at the age of 13 years in 1175 to the leadership of the 40,000 tents in a clan wandering the banks of the Onan river and over the next few years became the acknowledged leader of all tribes living north of the Gobi desert. At the Kuraltay (Assembly of all tribes) held in 1206 Temujin was given the augmented title 'Ghenghiz Khan' (Very mighty king). Then began his career of conquest beyond the lands of the Central Asian Nomads. The Uighurs were reduced in 1209, parts of China soon after, Turkish Gurkans were subdued giving him control over Kashgar, Khotan and Yarkand. In 1220 his defeat of Khwarezmshah gave the Mongols extensive new territories in Transoxiana, Afghanistan and Eastern Iran. When he died Ghenghiz Khan realm extended from the Black Sea to China and embraced much of Russia, Persia, Afghanistan and Turkestan. His capture of all these territories resulted in large numbers of people being killed many in a very barbaric manner.