Catalog
Jital - Baha' al-Din Sam Balkh
| Issuer | Ghurids of Bamiyan (Ghurid dynasty) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1192-1206 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by a multi-line Arabic legend in bold Naskhi script, reading the name and titles of the ruler. The inscription fills the flan in characteristic Ghurid fashion, arranged in horizontal lines across the field. A simple decorative border element, possibly a rosette or floral device, appears at the lower margin. The flan is irregular and slightly scalloped at the periphery, typical of hammered billon jitals of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Baha' al-Din Sam II ruled the Bamiyan branch of the Ghurid dynasty as a semi-autonomous prince while his kinsmen controlled the larger sultanate from Ghazni and Firuzkuh. The Bamiyan Ghurids occupied a strategically awkward position — wedged between the main Ghurid power centers and the ever-present pressure from Khwarazmian expansion to the north. Jitals from this branch are considerably scarcer than those of the main Ghurid line, a function of a smaller mint output from a secondary appanage rather than any disruption in production.
Tye 157 / Album 1805.1 places this squarely among the bull-and-horseman series that defined northern Indian and Afghan billon coinage of the period.