1 Shahi - Isma'il I Safavi Astarabad mint

Isma'il I founded the Safavid state in 1501 and immediately imposed Twelver Shi'a Islam as the official creed — a political and religious rupture with the surrounding Sunni powers that shaped Persian identity for centuries. The coinage he issued was one of the primary instruments of that declaration, carrying Shi'a formulae that made Safavid silver instantly distinguishable from Ottoman or Uzbek issues circulating across the same trade routes.

The Astarabad mint, situated on the southeastern Caspian littoral, served a region Isma'il needed to consolidate early in his campaigns against the Aq Quyunlu. Album 2576 covers the full reign, meaning individual specimens can rarely be attributed to a narrower window without a legible mint date.