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1 Mithqal - Muhammad Khodabanda Safavi type B, Ardabil mint
| Issuer | Safavid Dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1582 |
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| Currency | Shahi (1501-1798) |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by a bold, deeply struck nasta'liq and thuluth calligraphic legend arranged in multiple lines, recording the mint name Ardabil and the AH date 990. The inscription is set within a plain inner border, surrounded by a continuous foliate or rope-pattern outer border following the irregular flan edge. The die-work is characteristic of late Safavid hammered gold coinage, with high-relief lettering and a granular field texture. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ضرب اردبیل ۹۹۰ |
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| Additional information |
Muhammad Khodabanda (Shah Mohammad I) came to power in 1578 largely because the Safavid court factions believed his near-blindness made him controllable. They were correct. His decade-long reign was consumed by regent power struggles, a damaging war with the Ottomans that cost the dynasty significant northwestern territory, and repeated Uzbek incursions from the east — pressures that would eventually force his own son Abbas to depose him in 1587.
Ardabil held particular dynastic significance as the ancestral seat of the Safaviyya order, which gives mint output from that city a certain ceremonial weight beyond mere circulation coinage. The Type B designation distinguishes this from the earlier mithqal format issued under his name, reflecting a die revision rather than a change in issuing authority.