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1 Shahi - Abbas I Safavi Simnan mint
| Issuer | Safavid Dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1593 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Persian |
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| Reverse description | Entirely epigraphic reverse displaying the Shi'a kalima in bold Nasta'liq Persian script, deeply struck in high relief across the full field. The legend reads the shahada followed by the Alid declaration: 'La ilaha ill-Allah, Muhammad rasul Allah, Ali wali Allah' (There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God, Ali is the regent of God), a hallmark formula of Safavid Twelver Shi'a coinage introduced under Shah Ismail I and perpetuated throughout the dynasty. The text is arranged in horizontal registers across the flan, with the characteristic intertwining strokes of the script filling the field. The irregular planchet edge, a feature of hammered coinage, causes minor truncation of the peripheral lettering. |
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| Additional information |
Abbas I came to the Safavid throne in 1588 inheriting a empire fractured by Uzbek incursions in the east and Ottoman pressure in the west. His early coinage reflects administrative disorder — multiple provincial mints struck in his name with inconsistent weight standards before his sweeping monetary reform of 1596–97 rationalized the system. This piece predates that reform by roughly three years, placing it in the transitional phase when local mint practice still governed output.
Simnan, on the main Khorasan road northeast of Tehran, served as a waystation mint whose output was tied directly to regional trade volume. Surviving examples from this mint and period are notably scarce.