2021-05-04 Tue

Sultan Husayn Bayqara Mirza was the Timurid ruler of Herat from 1469 until May 4, 1506, with a brief interruption in 1470.

Husayn Bayqara was born as Sultan Husayn in Herat in June/July 1438. His father was a great-grandson of the Central Asian conqueror Timur. Both his parents were also descendants of the Mongol Emperor, Genghis Khan.

A skilled statesman, Sultan Husayn Bayqara was best known for his interest in the arts and was renowned as a benefactor and patron of learning in his kingdom. He has been described as "the quintessential Timurid ruler of the later period in Transoxiana" and his sophisticated court and generous artistic patronage was a source of admiration, particularly from his cousin, the Mughal emperor Babur. Sultan Husayn Bayqara was the last Timurid ruler of consequence in Khorasan.

During his reign Herat become an important cultural center, attracting both Turkish and Persian poets as well as historians, artists, and calligraphers. The ruler himself composed poetry using the pen name Husayni, and his Chagatay Turkish poems (ghazals in Ramal meter) were compiled in a collection called the Divan-i Husayni.

Depicted here is a silver Shahrukhi issued under his reign from Herat mint. The obverse of a coin illustrates Kalima shahada and four khalifas' name around. The reverse of a coin engraved king's name with title and mint name.

ImageSource: https://www.coinarchives.com/