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Dirham - Qaidu bin Kashin Taraz
| Issuer | Chagatai Khanate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1270-1302 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field bearing the Islamic profession of faith (Shahada) in two lines of bold Arabic script, reading 'la ilaha illa Allah / Muhammad rasul Allah', set within a six-pointed star (hexagram) formed by two interlocking triangles. The geometric framework creates triangular compartments around the central inscription, a design characteristic of Chagataid coinage of the late 13th century. The flan is irregular and slightly ragged at the edges, consistent with hand-hammered production. The relief of the lettering is bold and relatively well-struck for the type. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | 'Phags-pa |
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| Mint | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Qaidu — grandson of Ögedei Khan — spent decades in open defiance of Kublai Khan's claim to supremacy over the Mongol world, controlling Central Asia from his base in the Chu and Talas river valleys. Taraz, the mint city here, sat directly within his power base. These dirhams funded a polity that was never fully absorbed into the Yuan orbit, making them physical artifacts of the post-Toluid fracture rather than peripheral provincial issues.
The thirty-year span reflects the difficulty of attributing undated Chagataïd issues precisely — Qaidu ruled until his death in 1301, and the series continued briefly into his successor's tenure.