The larin — a wire-formed silver coin bent into a hairpin shape — circulated extensively across the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean trade routes, and coastal India during the sixteenth century, where it was often accepted by weight rather than face value. Murad III came to the Ottoman throne in 1574, the same year this piece was struck, immediately ordering the execution of his five brothers to eliminate succession rivals — standard Ottoman fratricide policy under the kafes system.
Its absence from KM suggests it has not been formally attributed to a specific mint, though larins of this period were produced at scattered locations including Ceylon and various Gulf ports beyond core Ottoman territory.
The larin — a wire-formed silver coin bent into a hairpin shape — circulated extensively across the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean trade routes, and coastal India during the sixteenth century, where it was often accepted by weight rather than face value. Murad III came to the Ottoman throne in 1574, the same year this piece was struck, immediately ordering the execution of his five brothers to eliminate succession rivals — standard Ottoman fratricide policy under the kafes system.
Its absence from KM suggests it has not been formally attributed to a specific mint, though larins of this period were produced at scattered locations including Ceylon and various Gulf ports beyond core Ottoman territory.