Item number: A2037

Year: AD 1206-1526

Material: Billon

Size: 14.2 x 13.4 x 2.1 mm

Weight: 2.85 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

The Delhi Sultanate refers to the Islamic polity established in the early 13th century by Turkic Muslim warlords from Afghanistan after their conquest of the Indian subcontinent, with Delhi as their capital. From its founding in AD 1206 to its fall in AD 1526 at the hands of Babur, the Turkicised Mongol ruler and founder of the Mughal Empire, the Delhi Sultanate was ruled by a succession of five dynasties.

The jital was a type of currency introduced to the Indian subcontinent by Afghan conquerors during the medieval period. Typically made of silver or billon, jitals were commonly used for low-denomination transactions.

The obverse of this coin is heavily worn, but it is still possible to discern a totem of a hump-backed cow with Indian characteristics at the bottom. Based on similar coins, the top of the cow totem should feature an inscription in the Devanagari script indicating the ruler’s title.

The reverse of the coin bears two lines of Arabic inscriptions, though due to age and wear, the details are not entirely clear. The inscription likely contains the ruler’s name and title.

物件編號: A2037

年代: 公元 1206-1526 年

材質: 賤金屬

尺寸: 14.2 x 13.4 x 2.1 mm

重量: 2.85 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

德里蘇丹國是泛指公元13世紀初，來自阿富汗的突厥穆斯林軍閥進入印度次大陸後，以德里作為首都建立的伊斯蘭政權。自公元1206年創建至公元1526年遭到突厥化的蒙古人統治者巴布爾消滅為止，前後總計有五個王朝。

吉塔爾是來自阿富汗的征服者在中世紀帶入南亞次大陸的一種錢幣，其材質多為銀或其他賤金屬，通常作為小面額交易的貨幣。

這枚錢幣的正面磨蝕十分嚴重，但是尚能勉強辨認下方是一隻具有印度特色的瘤牛圖騰。參考其他相似的錢幣，牛圖騰的上方應該會有標示統治者頭銜的天城文字母。

錢幣背面則有兩行阿拉伯銘文，只是年代久遠其外觀不甚清晰，應該是統治者的名諱和頭銜。