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Tyrants of the Tigris & euphrates
219
Sasanian Empire
Silver Drachm (4.16g, 31 mm), AD 629-631 or AD 631-637
Khosrau (Husrav) III or Khosrau(Husrav) V, Sasanian King, AD 629-631 or AD 631-637
Sunrise # 1003, Goble TypeI/1, Mochiri 437, Saeedi 310. Extremely Fine.
Mint: WYHC (Veh-az-Amid-Kavad)-There are several interpretation as to where this city is. More than
likely this is one of the satelite cities of the greater capital of Ctesiphon (Madaa-en). Year 2 (regnal year).
This king, as seen from his coin, was a child or adolescent similar to Ardashir III. He ruled in the eastern
parts of the Sasanian Empire, as a rival king to the usurper Shahrbraz, the military leader who held the
capital Ctesiphon.
220
Sasanian Empire
Silver Drachm (4.09g, 33 mm), AD 630
Buran (Poorandokht or Purandokht), Sasanian Queen, AD 630
Sunrise # 1005(this coin), Goble Type I/1, Mochiri 1466, Saeedi 302. Superb Extremely
Fine.
Mint : GO or GW - Gorgan. Year: 1 (regnal year). Gorgan mint is extremely rare among Buran’s drachms.
Queen Buran also known in Persian literature as Poorandokht, was daughter of Khosrau II and the first of
the the two queens to rule the Sasanian Empire in their own right. Her name may have been inspired by
her blond hair which is called “bur” or “boor” in Persian. It is difficult to determine the degree of order
she was able to establish within her realm. She seems to have completed the peace treaty with Heraclius
and returned the “True Cross” to Jerusalem, as promised by Kavad II. One of the most important event
of her reign was the first major incursion of Arab forces into the Persian territories, killing a number of
merchants and destroying or looting their goods in the village of Baghadad (present day Baghdad). This
action alarmed all and prompted the merchants to write a letter to the queen requesting better security
and protection against the invading Arabs. The Sasanian court continued to underestimate the religious,
political and military storm rising from Arabia, threatening and eventually undermining the Sasanian
empire. The exact fate of Buran is not fully known. There are records stating that she was killed and
there are other records that she retired to her oasis and lived her life as a hermit after the Arab conquest
of Ctesiphon. Queen Buran’s drachms are extremely rare. They are divided in to two classes, the western
style (this coin) minted in the western regions of empire and the “eastern” style which has a crude design
and were all minted in the province of Sakastan (modern day Sistan in southeastern Iran). We have the
dates 1 through 3 for Queen Buran’s reign. There is a single gold dinar known of this queen, showing her
facing forward and in full standing position on the reverse. That coin is currently in the Boston Museum.