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1 Dinar - 'Uddat al-Dunya wa'l-Din 'Ali ibn Ja'far
| Issuer | Qarakhanid Dynasty, Balkh mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1186-1198 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | A#E1523 |
| Obverse description | Central field occupied by a multi-line Arabic legend in Kufic-influenced script, arranged in horizontal registers across the flan. The inscription contains the shahada and formulaic religious text together with the ruler's name and titles. The die-struck lettering is bold and deeply impressed, characteristic of late Qarakhanid hammered gold coinage. The irregular flan edge shows typical characteristics of hand-cut gold planchets of the period. A marginal or border legend may appear partially around the periphery. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central field bearing a multi-line Arabic inscription in several horizontal registers, recording the names and honorific titles of the Qarakhanid ruler 'Uddat al-Dunya wa'l-Din 'Ali ibn Ja'far. The lettering is executed in a bold hammered relief typical of eastern Islamic gold coinage of the late 12th century. The field shows characteristic surface texture of a hand-struck gold dinar, with the legend densely filling the available space. Peripheral elements are partially visible along the ragged flan edge. No figural imagery is present, consistent with Islamic numismatic convention. |
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| Additional information |
The Qarakhanid dynasty by the late twelfth century was operating as a fractured vassal entity under Ghurid suzerainty, and coins struck at Balkh during this period reflect that political subordination — overlord names frequently appear alongside local rulers in a layered titulature that makes attribution genuinely complex. 'Ali ibn Ja'far's issues fall into this contested administrative zone, where Balkh itself had changed hands repeatedly between Ghurids, Seljuqs, and Qarakhanid branches across a single generation.
The Balkh mint was among the most active in Khurasan, with a long tradition of gold production stretching back through Samanid times.