2018-06-08 Fri

Depicted here is a gold Mohur issued in the reign of Akbar Badshah. This coin is weighed around 10.90g struck at Shahr Nahrwala Patan mint in 984 AH. The obverse of the coin is engraved with Kalima in dotted rectangle ‘La Ilaha Illlallahu Muhammadaur Rasulullah’ and name of the Rashidun Caliph around. The reverse of the coin is depicting the full name of the Emperor ‘Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar Badhshah Gazi’ in a mihrab-shaped dotted cartouche with mint-name partly visible below.

Akbar achieved his first conquest of Gujarat in 1573 with the provincial capital based at Ahmadabad. However, for the first few years of Mughal rule, other mints in the province namely Malpur, Patan, Anhilwara produced coins so that the new regime could achieve monetary assimilation of the newly acquired province into the Mughal monetary system.

Anhilwara, known to historians by its Islamic variant name 'Nahrwala', was the ancient capital of Gujarat and a centre of very important textile trade. All issues of this mint, which appears to have functioned for only two years, are very rare.

Image Source: Classical Numismatic Gallery