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Kupang - Ahmad II/III
| Issuer | Sultanate of Samudra-Pasai |
|---|---|
| Year | 1326-1452 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 11 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central field bearing the Arabic legend in two lines, executed in a bold, somewhat crude hammered style characteristic of early Southeast Asian Islamic coinage. The inscription reads 'Ahmad Malik al-Tahir' (Ahmad, the Pure King), rendered in an informal Naskh script. The legend is enclosed within a beaded border running along the entire circumference of the flan. The irregular, hand-struck flan displays typical surface variation associated with medieval hammered gold coinage of the region. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Samudra-Pasai, on the northern tip of Sumatra, was among the earliest Muslim polities in Southeast Asia, and its kupang coinage functioned as the primary medium of long-distance trade through the Malacca Strait during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Ibn Battuta visited the sultanate around 1345 and recorded its ruler as a devout Shafi'i Muslim who conducted theological debates at court — the same court authorizing these diminutive gold pieces. The wide date range attributed to Ahmad II/III reflects genuine uncertainty in the dynastic sequence, with historians still debating whether these represent one reign or two.