Mongols, Ilkhanate Silver Dirham

 The Ilkhanate was formed from the fractured Mongol Empire in 1256, after internal conflict split the massive empire into four independent khanates. Hulagu Khan (grandson of the famed Genghis Khan) became the first leader of the area covering the Middle East, known as the Ilkhanate.

These silver coins were struck under Arghun Khan (1284 - 1291), the grandson of Hulagu and the great-great-grandson of Genghis. They notably use Arabic script, as the conquering Mongols usually continued minting coins in the same style and language as the local people.

Arghun Khan was a devout Buddhist, as the ruling class of the Ilkhanate had not yet converted to Islam at the time of his rule. Notably, Arghun attempted to create an alliance with Europe against the Muslim forces in the Holy Land, though was ultimately unsuccessful. He was also betrothed to Kököchin, a princess of the Mongol Yuan dynasty of China, who was reportedly escorted to the Ilkhanate by the famous explorer Marco Polo. However, the marriage was not to be—Arghun died shortly before her arrival, after 8 months of ingesting a toxic alchemical concoction of sulfur and mercury in an attempt to prolong his life.

Each coin is guaranteed genuine and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.