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1 Dirham - Ahmad b. Nasr Isbijab
| Issuer | United Qarakhanid Khaganate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1010 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Dirham (0.7) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by multiple horizontal lines of Kufic Arabic inscription arranged in three or four registers, typical of Qarakhanid dirham design. The legends contain the ruler's name and titles. The field is framed by a plain inner border, with a rope or beaded outer border encircling the entire face. The striking is irregular with die shift visible, characteristic of hammered coinage of this period and region. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | 400 (1010) |
| Additional information |
The Qarakhanids were the first Turkic dynasty to convert to Islam en masse, and their coinage reflects the administrative complexity of a khaganate that functioned as a confederation of semi-autonomous appanages rather than a centralized state. Local governors struck in their own names beneath the senior khan's authority, which is precisely why regional issues like this one from Isbijab — a major Silk Road entrepôt on the Syr Darya frontier — can carry names that appear in no dynastic succession list but were genuine holders of minting rights.
Isbijab, later known as Sayram, sat at a critical node between the steppe and Transoxiana.