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1/2 Larin 'Kuda' - Muhammad Imaduddin II

Issuer Maldives
Year 1705-1710
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Value 1/2 Larin
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Obverse description Central field bears a three-line Arabic inscription giving the sultan's name and the Hijri regnal year. The legend reads 'Sultan Muhammad, Year 1116' in stylised Arabic script arranged horizontally across the flan. The inscription is surrounded by a beaded border typical of Maldivian hammered coinage of the period. The lettering is bold and deeply struck, characteristic of the 'Kuda' (small) larin type issued under Muhammad Imaduddin II.
Obverse script Arabic
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Additional information

Laari coinage of the Maldives derives from the larin, a wire-formed silver currency that circulated widely across the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean trade networks from the 16th century onward. The local billon adaptation reflects the islands' position as a transit point rather than a silver-producing economy — debased coinage was a practical concession to chronic metal scarcity. Muhammad Imaduddin II's reign saw the sultanate navigating Dutch commercial pressure in the region, and the degraded silver content of issues like this one likely reflects both supply constraints and the realities of small-denomination everyday exchange among fishing and trading communities.