Coin

Description

A gold coin produced by striking. It is approximately circular in shape, with an irregular edge that is worn and slightly deformed in places. Epigraphic inscriptions in Arabic script are preserved on both sides.
At the centre of one side, within a linear circle, are the titulature and name of the Khwarazmshah ruler ‘Ala al-Din Muhammad II ibn Tekish. The inscription includes the ruler’s titles and name, including “the Great Sultan”, “‘Ala al-Dunya wa’l-Din”, and “Abu al-Fath Muhammad”. A circular epigraphic inscription surrounds the central field. Part of the marginal text is incompletely preserved due to wear along the edge and weakly struck or worn elements.
The central field of the other side contains the Islamic profession of faith (shahada) together with the name of the Abbasid caliph al-Nasir li-Din Allah. An additional circular inscription runs around the margin; parts of it are missing or poorly legible.
The coin dates to the reign of the Khwarazmshah ‘Ala al-Din Muhammad II ibn Tekish, 1200-1220. His gold coinage is known in the form of struck dinars approximately 25 mm in diameter. The appearance of the Abbasid caliph’s name alongside that of the ruler reflects the relationship between political authority and religious legitimacy within the Islamic numismatic tradition. The name of the caliph al-Nasir li-Din Allah is also attested on other coins issued under Muhammad II.
The object is an important archaeological and numismatic source for the study of monetary circulation in the Khwarazmian Empire in the early 13th century, Islamic numismatic and epigraphic traditions, and the political and economic connections of Otyrar with the wider Central Asian region.