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Uncertain AR - Dust Muhammad Countermarked, Arabshahid
| Issuer | Khanate of Khiva (Arabshahid Dynasty) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1546-1558 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Hammered silver flan bearing dense multi-line Arabic calligraphic inscription filling the entire field, executed in a cursive Central Asian hand characteristic of the Arabshahid period. The legends, arranged in overlapping registers across the coin's surface, likely contain religious formulae or the ruler's name and titles. The script is bold and raised, with individual letterforms flowing into one another in a manner typical of hand-struck Khorazmian coinage of the mid-sixteenth century. The irregular flan edge is visible, consistent with hammered production technique. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Dust Muhammad Khan ruled Khiva during a period of constant pressure from both the Shaybanid Uzbeks to the east and Safavid Iran to the south. The countermark on this piece reflects a pragmatic monetary practice common across Central Asian khanates: rather than reminting foreign or older silver, authorities simply restruck existing coin with a new authority mark, validating it for continued circulation under the new regime. The host coin remains unidentified, which itself is informative — these blanks were drawn from whatever silver was at hand.