Catalog
20 Lira Avar Khaganate
| Issuer | Turkish State Mint (Darphane) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2025 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Reverse description | The central field features a bold, stylised depiction of an Avar warrior rendered in the distinctive decorative metalwork art style characteristic of Avar goldsmith craft, showing a heavily armoured figure with an elaborately ornamented helmet and lamellar armour. The figure is set within a circular medallion format, occupying the majority of the reverse field. The surrounding border is decorated with incuse Avar-style ornamental script motifs. The upper legend 'AVAR KAĞANLIĞI' is inscribed within a rectangular cartouche at the top, and the dates '565-803' appear within a matching cartouche at the base, denoting the historical period of the Avar Khaganate. |
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| Reverse lettering | AVAR KAĞANLIĞI 565 - 803 |
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| Additional information |
The Avar Khaganate ruled the Carpathian Basin from roughly 567 to 822 AD, extracting tribute from Byzantium at its peak and fielding cavalry armies that twice besieged Constantinople. Their eventual collapse came not from Byzantium but from Charlemagne's Frankish campaigns of the 790s, followed by internal revolt among subject peoples. The Turkish State Mint's decision to include them in a commemorative series reflects a broader official effort to link modern Turkey to a chain of Turkic and steppe polities stretching back through Central Asia — a project as much political as historical.