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Dirham - temp. Qaidu Khan Otrar
| Issuer | Chagatai Khanate |
|---|---|
| Year | 670-690 (1272-1291) |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Central field dominated by an interlaced geometric or floral knot motif enclosed within a beaded inner circle, characteristic of Ilkhanid and Chaghatayid hammered dirhams. The design features a stylized foliate or tamgha-like device rendered in low relief, surrounded by a circular legend in Arabic script within the outer border. The flan is irregular and slightly ragged at the edges, consistent with hand-struck silver coinage of the period. The overall style reflects the Central Asian Islamic tradition of ornamental coin design current in the late 13th century. |
|---|---|
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| Mint | Otrar, Kazakhstan |
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| Additional information |
Qaidu Khan never formally held the Chagatai throne — he ruled the eastern Chagatai territories as a powerful warlord and de facto sovereign while keeping puppet khans nominally in place. His coinage from Otrar reflects this awkward political reality: issues struck in his name or under his authority without the full trappings of legitimate succession. Otrar itself, on the Syr Darya, was a major commercial node on the Silk Road and one of the cities whose sack by Mongol forces in 1219 had triggered the full westward campaign.
Album 1985 covers a loose grouping of issues tied to Qaidu's sphere, and attribution of individual specimens can be uncertain given overlapping mint activity at Otrar during this period.