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Tyrants of the Tigris & euphrates
309
Timurids
Gold Fractional Dinar (1.19g), AH 781
Timur (Tamerlane), Timurid Gurkhan of Transoxiana and Khorasan., AH 771-807/AD
1370-1405
AV2366. Very Fine.
Khwarizm mint. Timur named as Gurkhan below mint signature; Reverse, nominal Chaghatayid over-
lord Suyurghatmish cited above date. This coin dates from the time of Timur’s conquest of Khwarizm
and is in the same style as issues of the previous rulers of Khwarizm, the Sufids. These tiny gold coins
of Khwarizm are the only gold coins known to have been struck by the conqueror Timur. They were first
revealed little more than a decade ago and remain very rare.
Timur (Tamerlane, from the Persian Timur-e Lang meaning “Timur the Lame”, AH 771-807/ AD 1370-
1405 ) was the founder of the Timurid dynasty. Like many tyrants in the history of the region, he is
a contradictory figure. He was both brutal and cultured. He ordered mass killings yet took great joy
in hearing poetry. He defeated the emerging Ottoman power in Anatolia, destroyed many warlords in
central and western Persia and unified most of the territory of the former Ilkhan and Seljuq Empires thru
three campaigns, lasting a total of 15 years. His name became the equal of Chingiz Khan in the murder-
ing of civilian populations and the destruction of cities. On June 20. 1941, Soviet anthropologists and
archaeologists opened his grave in Samarkand. Many, including religious leaders of the time, considered
this a great insult that would anger the soul of the conqueror and cause great destruction. Interestingly
enough, on June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa and invaded the Soviet Union
across the entire eastern front. In the three years that followed, millions perished.
310
Qara Qoyunlu
Silver Tanka (5.34g), AH 814
Qara Yusuf, Qara Qoyunlu Bey in Azerbaijan and Iraq, AH 809-823/AD 1406-1420 (2nd reign)
SICA-9, 322; A 2478. Very Fine.
Bidlis mint. Within looped 18-lobe, Qara Yusuf named as Yusuf Noyan with title al-sultan al-a’zam,
his son Pir Budaq cited as khan, date in margin; Reverse, Kalima, mint name interlinear, the Rashidun
around.