Drachmas, Doubloons and Dollars: The History of Money

Medieval Byzantine and Islamic Empires

The Mongols

The Mongol invasion of the Middle East under Genghis Khan (1155-1227) affected Islamic coinage. Iran's Il-Khan Mongol dynasty introduced decorative frames while retaining the traditional inscriptional style. Multilingual inscriptions were used, reflecting the cultural diversity of the people ruled by the Mongols. Some powerful rulers did not claim authority in their own right, but marked their coins with the names of weak overlords.

Il-Khanid gold dinar (1285) of Arghun Khan.

Il-Khanid silver dirham (1299) of Ghazan Mahmud from Baghdad. The inscription uses Arabic, Mongol and Kharoshthi script.

Timurid silver dirham (1388) of Timur-i-Lenk, "Tamerlane" in Western literature, from Samarkand. The inscription names Mahmud Khan. Ruler of the Mongol Golden Horde, but the three circles in the center of the design identify Timur as the true issuing authority.