Item number: A3562

Year: AD 1858

Material: Silver

Size: 16.6 x 16.1 x 1.3 mm

Weight: 2.8 g

Provenance: Stephen Album Rare Coins 2025

This is a silver tenga struck under Malla Khan of the Kokand Khanate.

The inscription is in Persian written in naskh script. The obverse bears the inscription “ملای خان سيد محمد” (Mallya Khan Sayyed Muhammad), that is, “Sayyed Muhammad Malla Khan.” To the left appears the date “۱۲۷٥,” corresponding to AH 1275, or AD 1858. The inscription is enclosed within a droplet-shaped contour, composed of double lines filled with diagonal hatching. Beyond this droplet frame is a continuous pattern of diagonal crosses, with the frame protruding slightly inwards at each cross.

The reverse inscription reads “ضرب خوقند لطیف” (zarb Khoqand latif), meaning “struck at beautiful Khoqand.” It is enclosed within a single circle, with a surrounding decoration of vegetal scrolls.

The term tenga in the Turkic languages often denotes a balance, scales, or a unit of weight or measure. Its etymology may derive from the Chinese or Mongolian term “等” (deng), meaning “equal.” As currency, it may also be connected with the small silver coin “tangka” of the Indian subcontinent, first introduced by the Delhi Sultanate in the thirteenth century AD and later diffused across Central Asia through Muslim expansion. Initially struck in copper with a legally fixed exchange ratio to silver or gold, it gradually shifted to silver as political and military turmoil disrupted standards. In Central Asia, beginning with the Bukhara Khanate, the silver tenga became the principal medium of circulation, supplemented by copper fals.

The monetary system of the Kokand Khanate (AD 1709–1876) comprised three tiers: gold and silver tenga coins, silver dirhams, and copper pūls. Among these, the silver tenga was the principal monetary unit, circulating widely in Kokand and the Ferghana Valley, and exchangeable for several dozen pūls, though rates varied by time and locality. The pūls of Kokand were mostly struck at local mints, bearing inscriptions in Arabic or Persian, and typically naming the khan or including Islamic religious formulae.

The Kokand Khanate was the dominant polity of the Ferghana Valley in Central Asia, traditionally regarded as descended from the Timurid line. Centred on the city of Kokand, it gradually unified neighbouring lands, and along with Bukhara and Khiva formed one of the three great khanates of the region. Its political system continued the Turco-Mongol tradition, with the khan as ruler, supported by tribal aristocracy and religious leaders. Its population was diverse, including Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, and Sogdian-Persianised groups. The khanate reached its height in the first half of the nineteenth century, but its attempts to expand into Kashgar brought it into conflict with the Qing Empire. To avert war, during the Qianlong reign it nominally became a vassal of the Qing dynasty, its rulers receiving the title “beg,” denoting a Turkic tribal leader. In the nineteenth century, the Russian Empire expanded southwards, steadily eroding Kokand’s power. With frequent changes of ruler, the khanate weakened further, and in AD 1876 Russian forces finally occupied it, abolished the khanate, and established the Ferghana Oblast, thus ending its existence.

Muhammad Malla Beg Khan reigned between AD 1858 and 1862. He engaged in repeated military conflict with the Bukhara Khanate, weakening Bukhara and competing for influence in Transoxiana. Meanwhile, the Russian Empire advanced steadily southwards, interfering in Kokand’s relations with steppe tribes, applying pressure through trade and diplomacy, and repeatedly seizing and contesting frontier fortresses.

物件編號: A3562

年代: 公元 1858 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 16.6 x 16.1 x 1.3 mm

重量: 2.8 g

來源: 史蒂芬稀有錢幣專輯 2025

這是一枚浩罕汗國馬拉汗所鑄之堅戈銀幣。

錢幣銘文為波斯體的波斯文。正面幣銘「ملای خان سيد محمد」(Mallya Khan Sayyed Muhammad)，即「賽義德·穆罕默德·馬拉·汗」。左側銘文「۱۲۷٥」，即回曆「1275」，標示發行年為公元1858年。幣銘以水滴型輪廓包圍，水滴型輪廓由雙線加上中間的斜紋組成。外側還有斜十字連續紋飾，水滴輪廓於每個斜十字紋飾處凸出一短豎。

背面幣銘為「ضرب خوقند لطیف」(zarb Khoqand latif)，即「造於優美的浩罕」。幣銘以單環包圍，外有蔓草紋飾。

「堅戈」(tenga)於突厥語系中多表示天秤、平衡，或某種計量、計重單位。語源可能來自漢語、蒙語中的「等」(deng)，為相等之意。作為貨幣，亦可能源於流通於印度次大陸的小面額銀幣「唐卡」(tangka)，由德里蘇丹國於公元十三世紀時創用，經穆斯林的擴張而為中亞地區所熟悉。最初為銅質，以法律規定對銀或金的兌換比例，後隨著政治與軍事的混亂，逐漸改為以銀為主。在中亞地區，自布哈拉汗國時期，銀堅戈便是主要的流通貨幣，輔以銅法爾。

浩罕汗國(Kokand Khanate, 1709–1876) 的貨幣體系主要由金、銀、銅三個層級構成：堅戈(tenga)金幣、迪拉姆(dirham)銀幣、堅戈(tenga)銀幣、以及普爾銅幣(pūl)。其中「堅戈」銀幣是主要的貨幣單位，在浩罕與費爾干納谷地流通廣泛，約等於幾十枚普爾，兌換率在各時間、各地點都有所不同。浩罕的普爾多由當地鑄局製造，銘文採用阿拉伯文或波斯文，通常刻有汗王名號或伊斯蘭宗教用語。

浩罕汗國是中亞地區費爾干納谷地的主要政權，傳說為帖木兒帝國後裔。以浩罕城為都，逐漸統一周邊，與布哈拉、希瓦並列為三大汗國。汗國政體承襲突厥—蒙古傳統，由汗王主政，並依賴部落貴族與宗教領袖。社會成分多元，包括烏茲別克、塔吉克、吉爾吉斯及粟特—波斯化群體。十九世紀前半達到鼎盛，並因欲往新疆喀什地區擴張而與清帝國衝突。為迴避戰事，於乾隆年間名義上成為清朝藩屬國，受封「伯克」(beg)，為突厥部族首領之意。十九世紀俄羅斯帝國南侵，逐步侵蝕汗國勢力，加以汗位更迭頻仍，其勢愈衰。公元1876年，俄軍徹底佔領浩罕，廢除汗位，設立費爾干納州，浩罕汗國自此滅亡。

穆罕默德·馬拉·伯克·汗(Muhammad Malla Beg Khan)，公元1858-1862在位，他與布哈拉汗國發生多次軍事衝突，削弱布哈拉汗國並爭奪對河中地區的影響力。同時，俄羅斯帝國逐步南下，干涉浩罕與草原部族的關係，並加強對外貿易與外交的壓力，邊境堡壘屢屢易手。