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Shahi - Tahmasp I Qandahar, Sixth Western Standard
| Issuer | Safavid Dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1574 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 18.8 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Reverse description | The reverse bears a three-line Arabic inscription in naskh script, occupying the central field of the coin and divided by ruled lines characteristic of Safavid hammered coinage. The upper line reads 'Ghulam Ali' (Servant of Ali), the middle line gives the royal name 'Sultan Tahmasp', and the lower line records the mint name and AH date 'Zarb Qandahar 982' (struck at Kandahar, AH 982 / AD 1574). The legends are boldly engraved and generally well-centered despite the irregular flan. A plain linear border frames the inscriptions. The overall style is consistent with Safavid provincial mint production of the mid-sixteenth century. |
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| Additional information |
Tahmasp I held the Safavid throne for over fifty years — the longest reign of any Safavid shah — yet the final decade was marked by near-total withdrawal from governance, the court dominated by factions while the aging shah retreated into religious austerity. Qandahar itself was a perennial flashpoint, passing between Safavid and Mughal control across multiple wars throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. That this mint remained productive under Tahmasp speaks to the city's economic importance regardless of who claimed it politically.
The "Sixth Western Standard" designation reflects a specific weight reform sequence documented by Album, not a geographic classification.