Abbas I relocated his court to Farahabad on the Caspian coast periodically, and the presence of a mint there reflects the Safavid practice of establishing temporary royal mints wherever the shah held residence. Coins struck at Farahabad are consequently scarce — production followed the court, not a permanent installation. The bisti was the smallest silver denomination in the Safavid system, and pieces from secondary mints like this one were rarely struck in large volume.
Abbas I relocated his court to Farahabad on the Caspian coast periodically, and the presence of a mint there reflects the Safavid practice of establishing temporary royal mints wherever the shah held residence. Coins struck at Farahabad are consequently scarce — production followed the court, not a permanent installation. The bisti was the smallest silver denomination in the Safavid system, and pieces from secondary mints like this one were rarely struck in large volume.