1/2 Dirham - Güyük Khan

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Obverse script	Arabic
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Reverse description	Central field bearing a multi-line Arabic legend arranged in two horizontal registers within a linear border, with pellet ornaments flanking the text on left and right. The inscription, in the angular Kufic-influenced style typical of Mongol-era dirhams, references the ruling Khan and standard Islamic formulae. The flan is irregular and slightly ragged at the edges, consistent with the hand-struck, poorly-trimmed planchets characteristic of early Great Mongol coinage. The relief is bold but the strike is uneven, with parts of the legend weak toward the margins.
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Additional information	Güyük's reign lasted under three years — he died in 1248, likely from alcoholism aggravated by an arduous westward march, before reaching a confrontation with Batu Khan of the Golden Horde that most contemporaries considered inevitable. Coins issued under his authority are consequently among the scarcest of all Great Khan issues, minted across a brief window at workshops inherited from his father Ögedei. The fractional denomination points to active commercial use in urban Central Asian markets, where Mongol administrators had learned to sustain the existing Islamic monetary infrastructure rather than replace it.