Coin

Description

A silver coin produced by striking. It is approximately circular in shape, with an uneven edge that is worn and cracked in places. Epigraphic inscriptions in Arabic script are preserved on both sides.
At the centre of one side is a tamga composed of three circles, characteristic of the coinage of Amir Timur. Arabic-script inscriptions are arranged around the tamga. On the other side, the epigraphic inscriptions are presented in a geometric composition. Parts of the inscriptions are indistinct because of the striking technique and long circulation.
The coin is a silver tanga belonging to the monetary circulation of the Timurid state during the reign of Amir Timur. The three-circle tamga served as a dynastic and sovereign emblem on Timur’s coinage. The principal silver tanga of Amir Timur’s period had a weight standard of about 6.2 g, while the present specimen weighs 6.03 g, which supports its attribution to the tanga denomination.
The coin comes from a hoard found at the Kuyryktobe settlement. It is an important archaeological and numismatic source for the study of monetary circulation in the Otyrar region in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, the economic connections of the Timurid period, and the system of medieval numismatic symbols.