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1 Shahi - Isma'il I Safavi Astarabad mint
| Issuer | Safavid Dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1502-1525 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central field bearing the Shi'a kalima and the names of the Twelve Imams inscribed in multiple lines of Arabic Naskh script within a rectangular cartouche: the declaration of faith 'La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasul Allah, Ali wali Allah' is followed by the names of the Twelve Imams — Ali, Hasan, Husayn, Ali, Muhammad, Ja'far, Musa, Ali, Muhammad, Ali, Hasan — arranged in successive lines. The surrounding marginal field is filled with a dense interlacing arabesque and floral scroll pattern extending to the coin's irregular edge, consistent with the hammered production technique of the early Safavid period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Isma'il I founded the Safavid state in 1501 and immediately imposed Twelver Shia Islam as the official religion — a decision that fractured the Islamic world along sectarian lines still felt today. The Astarabad mint, situated on the southeastern Caspian littoral, was one of several provincial facilities pressed into service during the consolidation of Isma'il's realm, as the new dynasty needed coinage moving quickly across a vast and newly conquered territory.
Safavid silver of this earliest period is notoriously irregular in flan preparation, a product of speed over precision in the early minting apparatus.