2020-06-02 Tue

Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan was the ninth ruler of the Ilkhanate, a division of the Mongol Empire that encompassed the present-day countries of Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia, as well as portions of Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

He was born on 2 June 1305, near Ujan, Tabriz to Oljaitu, and Hajji Khatun. He became his father's heir after the deaths of his elder brothers. He was assigned to govern Khorasan and Mazandaran in 1315 with Uyghur noble Amir Sevinch as his guardian.

Abu Sa'id signed a commercial treaty with Venice in 1320, while also granting them to establish oratories throughout the empire. He also improved relations with Mameluke Egypt the same year, signing a treaty. He is also known to have corresponded with Muhammad b. Tughluq of Delhi Sultanate.

Depicted here is a double Dirham coin from the period of Ikhanate ruler Abu Sa'id minted in Enguriye (Ankara) in 1320. The obverse depicts “Kalma-e-Tawhid”, name of the four Khalifa-e-Rashidun inscribed below. The reverse inscription read as “Duribe Fi Eyyem-i- Devletis Sultan Azam Aby Said Khaldallahu Mulkahu”, around “Duribe Enguriye, Fi Sene Ve Sebamie”.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org