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Dirham - Yusuf b. Harun
| Issuer | Qarakhanid dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1005-1032 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by a multi-line Arabic religious legend arranged in a square cartouche format, characteristic of Qarakhanid dirham coinage. The Shahada and additional pious formulae are inscribed in angular Kufic script within the divided central panel. The die-struck surface shows the bold, geometric letterforms typical of early 11th-century Central Asian Islamic coinage. The flan is irregularly shaped, as is common for hammered silver issues of this period and region. |
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| Mintage | ND (1005-1032) |
| Additional information |
The Qarakhanids were the first Turkic dynasty to convert to Islam en masse, and their coinage reflects the political gymnastics of legitimizing rule through religious affiliation rather than conquest alone. Yusuf b. Harun — better known by his laqab Qadir Bilge Kara Khan — governed Kashgar during a period when the dynasty was fracturing into eastern and western khanates, and the mint attributions for his dirhams remain genuinely contested among specialists. Some pieces circulated as far as Transoxiana, turning up in hoards well outside his nominal territory.