Deccan Sultanate Coins: A Guide

Language: English
Pages: 60 (25 Color Illustrations)

About the Book
Islamic coins were first issued in India by the Amirs of Sind in the eighth century AD and their regular coinage commenced in the eleventh and twelfth century AD by the Sultans of Delhi. Bahmani was the first major Muslim dynasty (748-942 AH/ 1347-1538 AD) to rule in the Deccan after their revolt against the Tughlaq rule from the Delhi. After the disintegration of Bahmani rule five succession states emerged in the Deccan and they are B arid Shahi (895-1028 AH/ 1489-1619 AD), Nizam Shahi (902-1046 AH/ 1496-1636 AD), Adil Shahi (895-1097 AH/ 1490-1686 AD), Qutb Shahi (895- 1098 AH/ 1489-1687 AD) and Imad Shahi (895-980 AH/ 1484-1572 AD) respectively.
Islamic coins are unique not only for their calligraphy but also for the wealth of information that they provide and Bahmani and the five succession dynasties coins are no exception. Islamic coins usually have mints name, year of issue in Hijri era, regnal year and a legend which could be very elaborate and truly reveal the character of the issuer. Another characteristic of Islamic coins is the mention of the name of the father of the issuer which makes it easy to identify the king especially when his name is common like Ahmad and Muhammad. For example there were four Ahrnads and three Muhammad's out of eighteen Bahmani rulers and each king can be identified because they mention the name of their father and sometimes even their grandfather.
Deccan Sultanate coins are available in plenty in the market and this book is a guide for those non-Urdu knowledgeable coin enthusiasts to identify them and find new coins.
About the Author
D. Raja Reddy is a well known neurosurgeon and a numismatist. He is now the president of the Numismatic Society of India and been the past president of the So