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1 Falus - Shams Muzaffar II
| Issuer | Gujarat, Sultanate of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1511-1525 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | 6 mm |
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| Obverse description | Boldly struck Arabic legend disposed in three lines across the irregular hammered field, reading 'Shams al-Dunya wa al-Din / Muzaffar Shah / al-Sultan' — the honorific title and royal name of Sultan Muzaffar II of the Gujarat Sultanate. The script is rendered in a broad, somewhat rustic Naskh style characteristic of provincial copper coinage of the period, with strokes extending close to the unraised rim. Surface shows typical granular porosity and patination consistent with a heavily circulated base-metal issue. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Muzaffar Shah II ruled Gujarat at a moment of acute commercial disruption — Portuguese forces under Albuquerque seized Goa in 1510 and were actively raiding Gujarat's western shipping lanes throughout this coin's period of issue. The sultanate remained one of the wealthiest trading polities in the subcontinent, but its access to the Arabian Sea was increasingly contested, and Muzaffar spent much of his reign attempting diplomatic and military countermeasures against Lisbon's expanding Estado da India.
The falus occupied the lowest register of the Gujarati monetary hierarchy, used for local bazaar exchange while gold and silver moved the spice trade overhead.