Item number: A3503

Year: AD 1574 (AH 981)

Material: Gold

Size: 19.3 x 19.3 mm

Manufactured by: Ujjain Mint

Provenance: Stack’s Bowers 2025

This is a square-shaped gold mohur coin minted in AH 981 (AD 1574) by the governor of Malwa (also rendered as Malava), in the name of Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, the ruling emperor of the Mughal Empire.

The obverse of the square coin bears an inscription in Persian script that reads “لا إله إلا الله، محمد رسول الله” (Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Muḥammad rasūl Allāh), which translates as “There is no deity but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God”—the Islamic declaration of faith, or Shahada.

On the reverse, the upper section features the phrase “اکبر پادشاه غازی” (Akbar Pādishāh Ghāzī), meaning “Akbar, Emperor and Holy Warrior.” In the centre is “محمد” (Muḥammad), the name of the Prophet, written in a style linking the upper and lower sections. The lower portion reads “جلال‌الدین” (Jalāl al-Dīn), meaning “Glory of the Faith,” which forms part of Akbar’s full title: “Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, Emperor and Ghazi (holy warrior).” The term “Pādishāh” is a Persian imperial title, while “Ghāzī” was a designation earned by Akbar in his youth for slaying infidels. The date of minting is inscribed in the lower-right corner as “٩٨١” (981 AH).

One of the Mughal Empire’s most significant achievements was the establishment of a widely circulating monetary system, centred on the rupee, a silver coin weighing approximately 11.6 grams and nearly pure by contemporary metallurgical standards. This was supplemented by the copper dam and the gold mohur. These three denominations were nominally set at an exchange rate of 1 rupee = 40 dams, and 1 mohur = 8 rupees, although actual exchange rates were subject to market fluctuations. Akbar’s early coinage was exclusively round in shape, but square coins appeared in the middle of his reign, with a return to round forms in his later years.

Prior to AD 1585 (AH 992), Akbar’s gold and silver coins largely retained the classical Shahrukhi style, characterised by the Shahada on the obverse and the sovereign’s titles on the reverse. This format originated under Shahrukh, a ruler of the Timurid Empire, and circulated widely across Persia, Central Asia, and Transoxiana. Akbar’s Shahrukhi-style coinage was especially prevalent in the Lahore region. After AD 1585, as Akbar’s syncretic tendencies became more pronounced and likely in response to the religious diversity of his empire, the Shahada gradually gave way to the Din-i-Ilahi motto—“اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ” (Allāh Akbar Jalla jalālah), meaning “God is the Greatest, Glorious is His Majesty.” In his later reign, Akbar even issued coins featuring human portraits and images of ducks—elements that contravened orthodox Islamic doctrine.

In AD 1562, Akbar conquered the Malwa Sultanate, after which, through several shifts in military leadership, the region was formally incorporated as a province. In AD 1574, the governor of Malwa was likely Shihab-ud-din Ahmed Khan. This coin, struck under his administration, represents a modified Shahrukhi style, omitting the names of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs traditionally inscribed in the corners. As in other parts of the Mughal Empire, silver rupees served as the principal medium of trade and accounting in Malwa, with copper coins used for daily transactions. Gold coins such as this mohur were typically struck for ceremonial, political, or treasury purposes and seldom entered general circulation.

Akbar the Great was the third emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from AD 1556 to 1605. He claimed descent from Timur and was likely of Chagatai Turkic origin. After his father Humayun briefly lost and then recovered the empire, only to die unexpectedly, the thirteen-year-old Akbar ascended the throne under the regency of Bairam Khan. Upon assuming full control, Akbar demonstrated exceptional military and political acumen, expanding the empire across northern, central, and parts of southern India, thereby securing long-term stability. A centralising monarch, he implemented an efficient administrative structure, including the mansabdari (ranking) system and standardised taxation, which spurred economic growth. Known for his religious tolerance, Akbar promoted interfaith dialogue, abolished the jizya (poll tax) on non-Muslims, intermarried with Hindu nobility, and respected diverse religious traditions. He also championed cultural patronage, supporting literature, painting, and architecture, and fostering a Mughal artistic style that fused Persian and Indian elements. He founded Fatehpur Sikri as a new imperial capital, though it was later abandoned due to water shortages. Widely regarded as one of the most visionary and enlightened rulers in Mughal history, Akbar’s reign not only consolidated the empire but also inaugurated a golden age of political cohesion and cultural flourishing. His successors, Jahangir and Shah Jahan, continued this legacy, bringing the Mughal state to its peak, until Aurangzeb’s protracted wars eventually strained its stability and led to its gradual decline.

物件編號: A3503

年代: 公元 1574 (回曆 981) 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 19.3 x 19.3 mm

製造地: 烏賈因造幣廠

來源: SBP錢幣拍賣 2025

這是一枚回曆981 年(公元1574 年)，摩臘婆(或譯馬爾瓦，Malwa / Malava)總督，以統治蒙兀兒帝國的阿克巴大帝之名，所鑄行之方形莫哈爾(Mohur)金幣。

方形金幣正面以波斯文鐫刻「لا إله إلا الله، محمد رسول الله 」(Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Muḥammad rasūl Allāh )，由右至左順讀，即清真言「萬物非主，唯有真主，穆罕默德是真主的使者」。

金幣的背面上方為「اکبر پادشاه غازی」(Akbar Pādishāh Ghāzī)，意即「阿克巴，皇帝，聖戰士」。中間寫為連筆分割上下部分的為「محمد」(Muḥammad)，即先知穆罕默德，為其教名。下方則為「جلال‌الدین」(Jalāl al-Dīn)，意為「宗教的輝煌」，為其別號(laqab)。併為全銜「傑拉爾-丁·穆罕默德·阿克巴，皇帝與聖戰士」。其中皇帝(Pādishāh)為波斯式君主稱號，聖戰士(Ghāzī)頭銜則為阿克巴少年時斬殺異教徒所得。右下角「٩٨١」，標註鑄造年為回曆981年。

蒙兀兒政權的重要成就之一，是建立一套普遍流通的銀幣制度，以重約11.6克、幾近純銀的「盧比」(rupee)為主幣，並輔以銅幣「達姆」(dam)與金幣「莫哈爾」，三者的名義匯率一般為1盧比兌40達姆、1莫哈爾 兌8盧比，實際匯率則由市場所決定。早期阿克巴大帝所鑄行之貨幣皆為圓形，中期出現方形，後期又只採用圓形。公元1585年(回曆992年)以前，阿克巴所鑄行的金銀幣還帶有典型的「沙魯克希」(shāhrukhīs)風格，即正面清真言，背面君主頭銜的形制。此形制為帖木兒帝國君主沙魯克首創，在波斯、中亞和河中地區廣泛流通。阿克巴所鑄的沙魯克希式金銀幣多於拉合爾地區流通。公元1585年以後，由於阿克巴本人綜攝主義的傾向逐漸明顯，可能同時也為了統治多元地區，清真言逐漸被融合伊斯蘭教、印度教、祆教、基督教、耆那教、佛教等元素的丁伊拉賀教(或譯伊拉赫教，波斯文دین الهی ，Ilāhī)的箴言「اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ」(Allāh Akbar Jalla jalālah)，即「真主至大，願祂的尊榮受到讚頌」。晚期甚至違反伊斯蘭教教法，鑄行帶有君主人像、鴨子圖樣等的貨幣。

公元1562年，阿克巴大帝攻滅摩臘婆地區的馬爾瓦蘇丹國，在前線將領數次反覆後建省。公元1574年，馬爾瓦總督可能為希哈布·烏德丁·艾哈邁德·汗(Shihab-ud-din Ahmed Khan)，其於摩臘婆所鑄行的此金幣則為改版的沙魯克希式形制，去除清真言四角的四大哈里發人名。摩臘婆與蒙兀兒帝國其餘地區相同，銀幣為主要貿易及計價貨幣，銅幣供日常流通。金幣則為皇家典儀、政治事件或儲藏而鑄造，很少進入流通。

阿克巴大帝是蒙兀兒帝國第三位皇帝，公元1556-1605在位。自稱為帖木兒後裔、可能為察合台突厥人。在其父胡馬雍失國再復國，而意外猝亡後，年僅十三歲即登基，由攝政貝拉姆·汗輔政，後親政後展現卓越的軍事與政治才能。他擴張帝國版圖至北印度、中印度與部分德干地區，奠定蒙兀兒政權的長期穩定。阿克巴重視中央集權，推行有效的行政制度，設立曼薩布達爾（官階制度）與稅收體系，促進經濟繁榮。他以寬容著稱，主張宗教融合與對話，廢除對非穆斯林的吉茲亞稅，並與印度教貴族聯姻，尊重各宗教信仰。阿克巴亦推動文化發展，支持文學、繪畫與建築，建立融合波斯與印度元素的蒙兀兒藝術風格。他創建法蒂普爾西克里作為新都，雖後因水源不足而遷回阿格拉。阿克巴被認為是蒙兀兒帝國最具遠見與開明的統治者之一，其統治不僅鞏固了帝國，也為後世奠定了政治與文化上的黃金時代。阿克巴在位近半世紀，成功鞏固蒙兀兒帝國在印度北部的統治，其子賈漢吉爾與孫沙賈汗接續執政，使國勢達到巔峰，藝術、文化與商業皆蓬勃發展。奧朗則布統治時期，蒙兀兒帝國疆域擴張至幾乎整個印度次大陸，但長年戰爭削弱了國家穩定與繁榮，並引發內部紛爭與叛亂，導致帝國逐漸走向衰退。