Item number: A1344

Year: AD 1524-1576

Material: Gold

Size: 12.2 x 11.6 mm

Weight: 1.12 g

Manufactured by: Herat, Afghanistan

Provenance: Heritage Auctions 2024

This is a ¼ Mithqal gold coin minted during the reign of Shah Tahmasp I, the second ruler of the Safavid dynasty, between AD 1524 and AD 1576. The term “Mithqal” refers to a weight unit used in the Islamic world, equivalent to 4.25 grams, and it was later adopted as a unit of denomination for gold coins.

The inscription on the obverse of the coin is in Persian and is arranged upside down, with the upper portion displaying the first half of the Muslim Shahada: “لا اله الا الله” (There is no god but Allah). The lower portion features the second half of the Shahada: “محمد رسول الله” (Muhammad is the messenger of Allah), followed by the Shia prayer associated with the Safavid dynasty: “علی ولی الله” (Ali is the chosen protector of Allah).

The reverse side of the coin features a distinctive lotus motif. Since the time of the Achaemenid Empire in ancient Persia, the lotus has been a symbol of the sun and life due to its characteristic of blooming and closing in response to sunlight. This symbolism continued through the Islamic period and influenced other regions, including Central Asia and India. In the centre of the lotus motif is the Persian inscription “ضرب هرات” (Struck in Herat), indicating that the coin was minted in the city of Herat, located in present-day western Afghanistan. Surrounding the lotus is a circular inscription in Persian, which includes the name and title of Shah Tahmasp I, the reigning monarch at the time.

The Safavid dynasty was the first unified regime in Iranian history to establish Twelver Shiism as the state religion. In AD 1524, Shah Tahmasp I ascended to the throne at the age of ten. During his childhood, he was constrained by the influence of the Turkoman militia group known as the Qizilbash. It was only after reaching adulthood that he was able to consolidate power and assume full control over state affairs. During his reign, Shah Tahmasp I engaged in prolonged border conflicts with the neighbouring Ottoman Empire. To counter this, the Safavid dynasty formed an alliance with the distant Habsburg monarchy in Europe, uniting against their common enemy.

物件編號: A1344

年代: 公元 1524-1576 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 12.2 x 11.6 mm

重量: 1.12 g

製造地: 赫拉特，阿富汗

來源: 海瑞德拍賣行 2024

這是一枚公元1524至1576年間，薩法維王朝的第二任沙阿太美斯普一世在位期間鑄造的面額 ¼ 米斯卡爾金幣。「米斯卡爾」是一種伊斯蘭世界使用的計重單位，重量相當於4.25克，後續被延伸使用於金幣的面額單位。

錢幣正面的波斯銘文呈現上下顛倒，上半部是穆斯林熟悉的清真言前半段「لا اله الا الله」(萬物非主，唯有真主)，下半部則是清真言後半段「محمد رسول الله」(穆罕默德是真主的使者) 及薩法維王朝所屬的什葉派禱詞「علی ولی الل」(阿里是阿拉選定的守護者)。

錢幣背面有一個極具特色的蓮花圖騰，蓮花自古波斯的阿契美尼德王國時期，就因其外觀跟隨著日光綻放閉合的特性，在波斯文化象徵太陽和生命，其意涵和花紋直到伊斯蘭時代仍為沿襲，甚至隨之影響到中亞和印度等地區。蓮花圖騰的中間以波斯文「ضرب هرات」標示錢幣是鑄造於今阿富汗西境的赫拉特。外圍環形的波斯文則是時任沙阿的太美斯普一世姓名和頭銜。

薩法維王朝是伊朗歷史上首個將什葉派奉為國教的統一政權。公元1524年，太美斯普一世以十歲幼齡登基為沙阿，幼時受到名為「奇茲爾巴什」的土庫曼民兵勢力掣肘，直到成年之後方才掌握朝政。太美斯普一世在位期間和鄰國鄂圖曼土耳其發生漫長的邊境衝突，為此薩法維王朝跟遠在歐洲的哈布斯堡君主國締結同盟對抗共同敵人。