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Dirham 'Ornamental type' - anepigraphic Bulghar mint
| Issuer | Golden Horde |
|---|---|
| Year | 1280-1310 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a bold geometric lattice design composed of intersecting raised lines forming a grid of four central squares, each square containing a single raised pellet at its centre. Additional pellets are distributed in the outer compartments and margins of the design, enhancing the overall symmetrical, ornamental character. The composition is entirely anepigraphic and fills the flan to its irregular edges. This geometric motif is a hallmark of the early Golden Horde anonymous ornamental dirham series struck at Bulghar. |
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| Mint | Bulghar (Bulgar on the Volga) |
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| Additional information |
The "ornamental" or anepigraphic dirhams of the Bulghar mint present one of the more puzzling episodes in Golden Horde numismatics. Issued during a period of intense political instability — roughly spanning the reigns of Möngke Temür through Toqta — these pieces bear no legible inscriptions, which remains unexplained. Whether this reflects deliberate policy, a local minting authority operating outside central control, or simply a workshop producing fiduciary coinage for regional trade networks is still debated among specialists. Bulghar on the Volga was the primary commercial hub of the western steppe at this period, and its mint output served merchants who may have cared more about silver content than dynastic text.