2020-11-05 Thu

Ibrahim was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1640 to 1648 AD. He was born in Istanbul to Ahmed and Valide Kosem Sultan.

Early in his reign under the guidance of the Grand Vizier Kamankes Kara Mustafa Pasa, Ibrahim established peaceful relations with Persia and Austria and recovered the Sea of Azov. He also stabilized the currency with coinage reform, sought to stabilize the economy with a new land-survey. Having spent his early life in confinement, Ibrahim was mentally unstable. He was later called Ibrahim the Mad by 20th-century historians due to his reputed mental condition.

Under his reign, gold, silver, and copper coins were issued in the denomination of Akce, Beshlik, Mangir, Onluk, and Para. The above shown gold Sultani was issued during his reign from Misr mint. The obverse of a coin depicted the legend Al-Sultan Ibrahim ibn Ahmed han Azze nasruhu Duriba bi Misr’. On the other hand, the reverse of a coin has the legend ‘Sultan al Barrain wa Khaqan al Bahrain; al-Sultan ibn al-Sultan’.

Image Source: Heritage Auctions