Mongols. Ilkhanids. Abu Saʿid, AH 716-736 / AD 1316-1335. 2 Dirhams (Silver, 26 mm, 3.48 g, 2 h), type F, Qays (Kish Island), AH 725 = AD 1324/5. Square within circle. Within square, in three lines: lā ilāha illā Allāh / Muḥammad / rasūl Allāh (‘There is no deity but God / Muḥammad / is the Messenger of God’ in Arabic). Around, the names of the four Rashidun caliphs: Abū Bakr / ʿUmar / ʿUthmān / ʿAlī. Rev. Circle within circle. Central field, in two lines: al-sulṭān Abū Saʿīd / Bahādur Khān khallada mulkahu (‘The Sultan Abū Saʿīd Bahādur Khān, may his kingdom endure’ in Arabic). Above and below: zarb-i Qays (‘Struck at Qays’ in Persian). Margin: sanat khams wa-ʿishrīn wa-sabʿ-miʾa (‘Year seven hundred and twenty-five’ in Arabic). Album 2210. Beautifully toned. Traces of overstriking and the usual areas of weakness, otherwise, very fine.



Qays, the medieval island of Kish in the Persian Gulf, was one of the most important maritime and commercial centers of the Ilkhanid world. Located along the major trade routes linking Iran, Arabia, India, and East Africa, the island prospered through overseas commerce and acted as a key intermediary port in the Gulf.

Ilkhanid coinage from Qays is quite rare, and silver issues are considerably rarer than the better-known gold coinage of the mint, making this issue especially desirable within the later Ilkhanid series.