A Fals From Kilwa Kisiwani
It is often the small, inconspicuous coins that tell fascinating stories: for example, a fals from the ruined city of Kilwa Kisiwani in present-day Tanzania. Follow Claire Franklin on her adventurous research.
Tag Archive for: Islam
Akbar – Ruler of the Mughal Empire Part 2
Akbar ruled over an empire on the Indian subcontinent. Administering it was a daunting task, and Akbar introduced loads of reforms. Read on to find out how the outstanding skills of his mathematicians helped him, and what this has to do with his coinage!
Akbar – Ruler of the Mughal Empire Part 1
The Muslim Akbar founded a world empire in which people of different religions lived together peacefully. How did this come about and what challenges did the ruler have to overcome to get there? And, most importantly: what can coins tell us about it?
…This Was My Own Innovation. It Had Never Been Done Before.
A few days after completing the 12th year of his reign, Mughal Emperor Jahangir had a series of twelve gold mohurs minted. They feature the twelve zodiac signs. In its auction 11, auction house Numismatica Genevensis SA is able to present the largest ensemble of coins from this series that has ever been on offer.
Freedom for Algeria – The Fate of Abd el-Kader
Standing in the middle of the Château d’Amboise garden on the Loire is a Muslim cemetery from the 19th century. Here, the followers of Algerian freedom fighter Abd el-Kader were buried with honour. What brought them to this place is a story that begs telling.
The first Islamic gold coin in history
A devout Moslem, a confident Christ and the first written testimony for the Islamic creed – these are the ingredients of a really exciting story…
Christians fight against Christians with the assistance of the Turks
It is an unspectacular coin, that testimony of the culminating conflict between France and Spain, between Francis I and Charles V. …
The great Ottoman monetary reform
On December 12, 2011, the Osnabrück auction house Künker sells the Sultan Collection of Coins of the Ottoman Empire. These 908 lots reflect the history of the coins of the last Ottoman sultans and the monetary reform of 1845…
The Turks at the gates of Vienna!
Künker Auction 289 will offer coins and medals bringing to mind the quarrel about the legacy of Louis of Hungary and the first Siege of Vienna. They form part of Ottoman Collection featuring coins referring to the difficult relation between the Ottoman Empire and the Occident.
Items found: Carsten Niebuhr reports on treasure troves in wild Kurdistan
In the service of the King of Denmark, Carsten Niebuhr (1733-1815) travelled through the Orient from 1761 to 1767. His main goal was to prove the Bible right after all. To us numismatists, however, other parts of his report are much more intriguing nowadays.
