COINS OF MUSLIM RULERS STRUCK AT TBILISI MINT (GENERAL OVERVIEW)

Abstract

“Arabic dirhems struck at Tbilisi and their imitations” is the name of a coin group of which the earliest are the Umayyad dirhems. The 7th c. political changes in the Middle East had their impact on economy and money circulation. The Arabian Caliphate subjugated Iran and the Eastern provinces of Byzantine Empire and from the first half of the 8th century Arabs became dominant in Georgia.Mongol occupation coins. In 1222-1245 queen Tamar’s daughter Rusudan ruled in Georgia. It turned out to be an unfortunate reign. First, Georgia was invaded by Jalāl al-Din and then – by the Mongols.In November 1225 Jalāl al-Din, successor to the Khwarazm shah, defeated the Georgian army due to disagreement among the Georgian nobles. Next year he captured Tbilisi.This conqueror left his trace also in the Georgian numismatics. In the abandoned Tbilisi (Rusudan fled to Kutaisi) Jalāl al-Din, probably, took hold of the state coffers, which he used for the issue of his money. Jalāl al-Din overstruck all the Georgian coins, and with the placing of a new die reissued them as his own money.Soon, following Jalāl al-Din’s invasions, the Mongol hegemony was established over Georgia.The changed political situation left an indelible trace on Georgian numismatics. Both, the face of money and the legends drastically changed. The Georgian coins of the time reflect a difficult political situation of the 13th-14th cc.Following the treaty of Amasia (1555), Georgia was subjugated to the hegemony of the Safavids and the Ottomans. The Western Georgia was controlled by the Ottomans, whereas the Eastern Georgia – by the Safavids.As far back as in the reign of Tahmasp I (1524-1576) Iranian silver coins were struck at Zagemi mint. From the 17th c. Iranian occupation coins were struck at Tbilisi.The names of the following Iranian shahs are placed on the 17th-18th cc. silver coins struck at Tbilisi: Abbas I (1587-1629), Safi I (1629-1642), Abbas II (1642-1667), Suleyman (1667-1694), Husain (1694-1722), Abbas III (1731- 1736) from the Safavid dynasty; Nadir Shah (1736-1747), Ibrahim Shah (1748) and Shahrukh (1748-1796) from the Afsharid dynasty; Karim Khan Zand (1750-1779).Iranian copper coins were struck at Tbilisi mint till the beginning of the 18th c. From 1708 till 1719/1720 copper coins were struck by the rulers of Kartli: Vakhtang, Simon and Bakar. Then, in 1723-1735, Ottoman occupation coins were struck. The last copper coin of Safavid dynasty struck at Tbilisi was issued in A.H. 1148 (=1735/1736). Afterwards, the copper coins were struck only by the Georgian kings.In 1723-1735 Tbilisi and the entire Eastern Georgia was occupied by the Ottomans. Tbilisi mint struck coins in the name of the sultans. They issued Ottoman gold, silver and copper coins.