Ali-Asghar Mirfattah, the head of the team, said that the coins are made of copper, and although not of high quality, they provide some evidence that the region was the industrial hub at the time.
“Based on the documentation, the coins were produced in a mint inside the site, proving that they were government property and did not belong to individuals,” he added.
He said that the coins have been studied, deciphered, and documented. The engraving and minting patterns show that they were issued by two kings of the Ilkhanid dynasty (1256-1349), Sultan Ahmad and Sultan Abu-Sa’id Bahador Khan, the last king of the dynasty.
All the coins bear the words “There is no God but Allah” and “Mohammad (S) is the Messenger of God” in Kufic script on one side, and the names of the caliphs on the other side of the coin, and some coins also have geometrical shapes, the archaeologist added.
Historians have mentioned that there were some 87 mints during the Ilkhanid era located in Tabriz, Shiraz, Maragheh, Isfahan, Esfarayen, and other cities. Those located in Maragheh, Tabriz, and Soltaniyeh were exclusive government mints under the direct supervision of the Ilkhanid monarchs.
Mirfattah expressed hope that the excavations would continue in the region so that more artifacts form this era can be discovered.
Soltaniyeh is the early 14th-century mausoleum of the eighth Ilkhanid ruler of Iran, Oljeitu (Mohammad Khudabanda). It is situated 26 kilometers (16 miles) southeast of Zanjan. The tomb's dome, at 52 meters (171 feet) in height, is the tallest in the Islamic world.
RM/AS/HG
End
MNA