Great Mongols. temp. Chingiz (Genghis). AH 602-624 / AD 1206-1227. AV Dinar (23.3mm, 3.51 g, 8h). In the name of the caliph Al-Nasir. Jand mint. Date off flan. VF.

Islamic Auction 7 - Session One
Lot: 213.
Closing Date: Oct 24 2024 11:00 GMT

Post-Mongol Dynasties, Gold

Estimate: $ 5 000

BID NOW

Great Mongols. temp. Chingiz (Genghis). AH 602-624 / AD 1206-1227. AV Dinar (23.3mm, 3.51 g, 8h). In the name of the caliph Al-Nasir. Jand mint. Date off flan. Obverse legend: la ilah illa / Allah Muhammad / rasul Allah / Reverse legend: jand / al-imam al-a‘zam / al-nasir li-din Allah / amir al-mu’minin. cf. CNG Islamic Auction 5, lot 180; Album A1967. VF. Very rare.

The Mongol conquest of Jand is described by the historian Juvaini (Tarīkh-i Jahān-gushā, ‘The History of the World Conqueror’), in the events of the year AH 616:

‘On the 4th of Safar, 616, they halted in front of Jand, and the army busied themselves with filling the moat and setting up battering rams, catapults and scaling-ladders upon it. The inhabitants of the town, apart from closing the gates and seating themselves on the walls and embattlements like spectators at a festival, made no preparations for battle. And since the greater part of the citizens had never had any experience of warfare, they marvelled at the Mongols’ activities, saying, “How is it possible to mount the walls of a fortress?” However, when the bridges had been built and the Mongols laid their scaling-ladders against the citadel, they too were moved to action and began to set a catapult in motion; but a heavy stone in falling to earth smashed the iron ring of the very catapult by which it had been propelled. Thereupon the Mongols scaled the wall from all sides and threw open the gates. No one was hurt on either side. The Mongols afterwards brought the inhabitants out of the town, and since they had withdrawn their feet from battle they laid the hand of mercy upon their heads and spared their lives; though a small number of the chief men, who had been insolent, were put to death.’ [Juvaini, trans. J.A. Boyle, Harvard, 1958 (slightly abridged)].

Closing Date and Time: at 15:10:40 ET.