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1/3 Falus - Abu Hasan Qutb Shah

Issuer Sultanate of Golkonda
Year 1083-1098
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Shape Square (irregular)
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Obverse description Irregular square flan struck by hand, bearing a three-line Persian inscription arranged within a plain rectangular border. The legend reads 'Abu al-Hasan / Qutb Shah / Sultan', identifying the issuing ruler Abu Hasan, the last sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golkonda. The lettering is executed in a simple, unadorned naskh-style script typical of Golkonda copper coinage of the late 11th century AH. The field shows characteristic surface irregularities and tooling marks consistent with hammered production. Patination is heavy, with areas of green cuprite and brown oxidation across the flan.
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Obverse lettering ابو الحسن
قطب شاه
سلطان
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Additional information

Abu Hasan Qutb Shah ruled Golkonda from 1672 until the sultanate's violent end in 1687, when Aurangzeb's Mughal forces besieged the fortress city for eight months before a gate was reportedly opened by a traitor. The conquest permanently ended the Qutb Shahi dynasty and folded the Deccan into the expanding Mughal empire — making this copper issue one of the final coinage types produced by an independent Golkonda.

The AH dating range 1083–1098 spans nearly the entirety of Abu Hasan's reign, and copper fractions of this type circulated in a kingdom whose wealth derived largely from diamond mining at Kollur.