| Classical Numismatic Group > Islamic Auction 5 | Auction date: 18 April 2024 |
| Lot number: 180 Price realized: 5,000 USD (Approx. 4,693 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Great Mongols. temp. Chingiz (Genghis). AH 602-624 / AD 1206-1227. AV Dinar (21.2mm, 3.51 g, 3h). Jand mint. Undated. Obverse: la ilaha illa / Allah wahdahu / Muhammad rasul Allah; traces of Qur'an 9:33 around / Reverse: Jand / al-imam al-a- / 'zam al-Nasir li-d- / in Allah amir / al-mu'minin; traces of mint and date legend around. Cf. Zeno #15467. VF for issue, typically crudely struck. Excessively 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 The Mongols afterwards brought the inhabitants out of the town, and since they had withdrawn their feet from battle they laid the hand of mercy upon their heads and spared their lives; though a small number of the chief men, who had been insolent, were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)]. Estimate: 5000 USD |  |
