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2 Shahi /1 Mahmudi - Abbas II Huwayza
| Issuer | Safavid Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1644 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.8 g |
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| Obverse description | Obverse displays the Shi'a kalima in bold Arabic calligraphy across the field, rendered in the characteristic Safavid nasta'liq style typical of hammered silver coinage of the period. The inscription reads the shahada followed by the declaration of Ali as the wali of God, occupying the full flan in multiple registers. The lettering is deeply struck against a plain field, with the script flowing in an organically irregular fashion consistent with hand-struck production. The flan is irregularly shaped with slightly ragged edges, characteristic of hammered Safavid provincial coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Abbas II came to the Safavid throne in 1642 at roughly ten years old, making the early issues of his reign — including this piece — products of a court effectively governed by the grand vizier Saru Taqi until his assassination in 1645. Huwayza, the mint of issue, sits in Khuzestan near the Iraqi frontier, a strategically sensitive region the Safavids held in ongoing tension with Ottoman-aligned Arab tribes throughout the seventeenth century.
The 2 Shahi denomination, equivalent to one Mahmudi, occupied the workhorse position in daily Safavid commerce.