A TREASURE TROVE OF JALAL AL-DIN COPPER COINS FROM TELETI

Abstract

The article presents a study of a hoard of copper coins discovered in 2019 in the vicinity of the village of Teleti, consisting of twenty-three specimens belonging to the last ruler of the Khwarazmshah Empire, Jalal ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Abu’l-Muzaffar Manguberdi ibn Muhammad 
(1220-1231).At the beginning of the paper, an overview is given of the history of the Khwarazmian state, 
from the formation of an independent khanate in the 12th century to the devastating invasion of Genghis Khan. Particular attention is paid to Jalal ad-Din’s military campaigns - his successful battles against the Mongols, his exile in India, and his subsequent return to Persia and the Caucasus.As for the numismatic analysis, a new interpretation is proposed regarding the reading of the central inscription on the reverse of the coins minted in Tbilisi. Through comparative analysis 
with coins struck in Kerman and other cities, it is argued that the Arabic text engraved on the reverse should be read as “Jalal ad-Dinu wa Dini” (“Adornment of Faith and Religion”) rather than “Jalal ad-Dunya wa ad-Din” (“Adornment of the World and Religion”).All coins in the hoard were minted in AH 623 (AD 1226), which coincides with the period of the capture of Tbilisi. Some of the coins are overstruck on Georgian copper coins of Queen Tamar, Lasha-Giorgi, and Queen Rusudan, which further confirms both the place of minting and the historical context.