LOCAL ISSUES, Sogdiana. Bukhara. Anonymous, circa AD 710-740. Drachm (Silver, 33 mm, 3.00 g, 6 h), ‘Mug’ Bukhar Khudat type imitating the Sasanian Bahram V’s drachms. Crowned bust to right, before head ‘pwxʾr xwβ kʾw’ = ‘Puxār xūβ Kaw’ (‘King of Bukhara, Kaw’ in Sogdian); behind head, distorted Pahlavi legend; triskelion tamgha countermarked on the chest. Rev. Fire altar with ribbons flanked by two attendants; bust to right in flames. Lurje 524. Zeno 182082. Extremely rare. The reverse weakly struck, otherwise, good fine.


Drachms of this type are called ‘Mug’ as the first known hoard was found on Mount Mug in Tajikistan. Kaw, the name of a Bukhar Khudat of the 7th century, was later used by Bukhar Khudats as a hereditary name. This name was previously wrongly transliterated as kʾnʾ.