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Dirham 'Lion and Sun' - anepigraphic Bulghar mint
| Issuer | Golden Horde |
|---|---|
| Year | 1267-1274 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Anepigraphic field bearing a Jochid tamga device composed of two stylized symbolic elements rendered in a schematic, archaic manner. The tamga, serving as the dynastic emblem of the ruling clan, occupies the central field of the flan. No inscriptions or legends are present on this face. The striking is typical of the irregular hammered technique employed at the Bulghar mint during this period. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The anepigraphic Lion and Sun dirhams from Bulghar occupy a genuinely peculiar position in Golden Horde coinage: they carry no mint name, no ruler's name, and no Quranic inscription — extraordinary omissions for a Mongol-administered Islamic mint where religious and dynastic formulae were otherwise near-mandatory. The type is attributed to the reign of Möngke Temür, the first Golden Horde khan to strike coins in his own name, making this transitional, deliberately stripped-down issue all the more anomalous.
The reduced weight against earlier full dirham standards reflects ongoing monetary adjustments across the western steppe in this period. Why the legends were suppressed entirely remains unresolved.