Journal of Greater Khorasan

Recognizing the effects of Marv war in Herat during the reign of Shah Ismail I on coins Available in Astan Qods Razavi Museum

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

mahla najarian tousi ¹

Hassan Hashemi Zarjabad ²

Abed taghavi ³

¹ PhD student in Archaeology, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Mazandaran University, Babolsar, Iran

² b) Associate Professor of Archaeology, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Mazandaran University, Babolsar, Iran

³ c) Assistant Professor, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Mazandaran University, Babolsar, Iran

10.22034/jgk.2023.382719.1103

Abstract

The year 916 AH represents one of the most significant historical periods of Shah Ismail I's reign in Greater Khorasan, as the defeat of the Sunni Uzbeks in the Battle of Marv during this year established a cohesive government in Iran and proclaimed Twelver Shi'ism as the state religion. This battle constituted a sectarian conflict that directly impacted Sunni-populated regions, prompting Shah Ismail to implement coercive policies toward local populations. Contemporary coins, serving as public instruments of exchange, materially attest to this reality, while numismatic studies provide a reliable historical source for directly reconstructing these impacts. This research primarily aims to introduce coins minted in Herat in 916 AH and reconstruct the Battle of Marv's consequences in the city through archaeological and numismatic analysis using descriptive-analytical and historical methods; requisite data were obtained via library research and direct examination of coins at the Astan Quds Razavi Museum. The central research question addresses how Shah Ismail Safavi's military challenges and conflicts with the Uzbeks influenced Herat's coinage system. The study demonstrates that the most widely distributed dated coins in the Astan Quds Razavi Museum are Herat issues from 916 AH—among the earliest Khorasan coinages of Shah Ismail's reign—minted with dual objectives: demonstrating state authority, stimulating commerce, and incentivizing Qizilbash settlement in Herat.

Keywords

War of Merv

numismatics

Shah Ismail I

Herat

Subjects

Historical geography, culture, society, history and civilization of Greater Khorasan

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Journal of Greater Khorasan

Volume 16, Issue 59 - Serial Number 59
Summer 2025
Pages 61-88

Receive Date 25 January 2023
Revise Date 27 September 2023
Accept Date 29 April 2024

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