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Denga - Vasily I Dmitriyevich Shahada / Arabic legend imitation
| Issuer | Moscow, Grand principality of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1412-1416 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | HP II#1503 |
| Obverse description | Crude imitation of the Shahada inscription as found on the reverse of Jochid (Golden Horde) dangs, rendered in a debased, non-functional pseudo-Arabic script. The legend, heavily stylized and largely illegible, fills the field of the irregularly shaped flan. The engraving reflects the Muscovite workshop's attempt to replicate Islamic monetary conventions without direct access to a skilled Arabic calligrapher, resulting in a schematic arrangement of strokes imitating the sacred formula. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Arabic (imitation) |
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| Additional information |
Vasily I began issuing coins with Arabic inscriptions — or imitations of them — as a political signal to the Golden Horde, whose nominal suzerainty over Moscow he was still carefully managing. These legends were never meant to be read; Muscovite die-cutters had no knowledge of Arabic script, producing garbled pseudo-Kufic that functioned as visual acknowledgment of Tatar authority without meaningful content. The practice was common among Rus' princes of the late 14th and early 15th centuries, though the specific period of 1412–1416 coincides with the succession crisis following the death of Khan Toqtamish and the resulting instability across the Horde.