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1 Tanka - Rukn al-Din Barbak Shah Arsah Satgaon Mint
| Issuer | Bengal Sultanate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1459-1474 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | GG#B513 |
| Obverse description | Central field dominated by a bold Arabic inscription in naskh script reading 'Rukn al-dunya wa'l-din abu'l mujahid', the laqab and kunya of Sultan Rukn al-Din Barbak Shah, arranged in multiple lines within an unbordered field. The hammered flan imparts an irregular surface texture characteristic of medieval Bengal sultanate coinage. Vertical striations and a curved band are visible in the upper portion of the die, likely a decorative frame element. The legends are deeply struck and display the fluid calligraphic style typical of Satgaon mint issues of the mid-fifteenth century. |
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| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Rukn al-Din Barbak Shah ruled Bengal from 1459 to 1474 and is historically notable for his extensive patronage of Abyssinian (Habshi) court officials — he reportedly enrolled thousands of African slaves into his military and administrative apparatus, a policy that would eventually destabilize the sultanate within a generation of his death. The Satgaon mint, active on the Saraswati River in what is now West Bengal, served as the primary commercial outlet for Bengal's maritime trade with the Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia during this period.