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1/2 Mohur Ashrafi - Karim Khan Zand
| Issuer | Zand Dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1751-1759 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | The obverse bears a multi-line Persian poetic legend in bold, fluid Nasta'liq script, arranged in three horizontal registers across the field. The inscription reads: 'The sun and moon shed gold and silver upon the world through the coin of the Imam by right, the Lord of the Age (Sahib al-Zaman),' a Shia invocation attesting to the legitimacy of Zand rule under the authority of the Twelfth Imam. The calligraphy is deeply struck in the hammered tradition, with vigorous, sweeping letterforms that fill the flan to its edges. The overall design is characteristic of late Safavid and early Zand gold coinage, with no figural imagery and the entire surface devoted to the inscriptional field. |
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| Mint | Dar al-Marz Rasht |
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| Additional information |
Karim Khan Zand never took the title of Shah, ruling instead as Vakil al-Raaya — regent of the people — a calculated act of political modesty that distinguished his administration from the brutal dynastic struggles consuming Persia in the mid-eighteenth century. His coinage reflects this ambiguity: issued under his authority but without the full imperial pretension his contemporaries demanded in gold. The Zand mint output from this period remains poorly documented, and die linkage studies are still incomplete.