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Pysa - Barghash
| Issuer | Zanzibar |
|---|---|
| Year | 1886 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Pysa (1⁄136 ZZY) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A pair of balance scales suspended in the upper field, symbolizing justice and trade, above the Arabic numeral date '1304' (AH), corresponding to 1886 CE. The design is rendered in a plain, unadorned style with the date prominently centered in the lower field. This composition served as the direct source design for the AH 1306 (1888) 1 Pice coins issued for Mombasa. |
| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Barghash bin Said ruled Zanzibar at the height of its commercial power, when the sultanate controlled much of the East African coastal trade and Zanzibar Town functioned as the dominant entrepôt between the interior and the Indian Ocean world. This copper pysa was struck just two years before his death in 1888, after which British influence over the sultanate tightened rapidly — culminating in the Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896, the shortest declared war in recorded history at roughly 38 to 45 minutes.
Barghash had himself come to power through a contested succession in 1870, briefly imprisoned by the British before they ultimately backed his claim.