2020-11-05 Thu

Mahmud Ghazan was the seventh ruler of the Mongol Empire's Ilkhanate division in modern-day Iran. Reigning from 1295 to 1304, he is best known for the conversion of his state to Islam and his wars against Egypt.

He was the son of Arghun, grandson of Abaqa Khan and great-grandson of Hulagu Khan continuing a long line of rulers who were direct descendants of Genghis Khan.

A man of high culture, Ghazan spoke multiple languages, had many hobbies, and reformed many elements of the Ilkhanate, especially in the matter of standardizing currency and fiscal policy. Considered the most prominent of the Ilkhans, he is best known for making a conversion to Islam and meeting Imam Ibn Taymiyya in 1295 when he took the throne, marking a turning point for the dominant religion of Mongols in Western Asia (Iran, Iraq, Anatolia and Transcaucasia).

On coins, Ghazan omitted the name of the Great Khan, instead inscribing his own name upon his coins in Iran and Anatolia. In Georgia, he minted coins with the traditional Mongolian formula "Struck by the Ilkhan Ghazan in the name of Khagan" because he wanted to secure his claim on the Caucasus with the help of the Great Khans of the Yuan Dynasty.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org