A Note on the Hülegü Khan Period Coins in the Inventory of the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations

After Möngke took over the Great Mongol Khanate, Hülegü, who was sent to the west, that is, to the Iranian geography in order to consolidate and continue the Mongolian conquests, dominated the region in a short time and established a Mongolian offshoot state which would later be called the Ilkhanids. Ruling over a vast geography, Hülegü expanded the borders of the state from Oxus to the Euphrates, from the Caucasus to Baluchistan. In this geography generally called the Islamic geography, there were vassal states such as the Seljuks of Rum, the Georgian Kingdom, the Empire of Trebizond, and the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia under the Mongolian rule. When Hülegü arrived in Iran in 1254 and 1255, he had coins cut bearing the name of his brother, Möngke, whereas he minted coins for himself using the title “Ilkhan” in 1256. The state he founded was called the Ilkhanids, in reference to the title “Ilkhan” used by Hülegü. When the Mongols came to Iran, they immediately adopted the local money minting methods and style, even though they had not yet converted to Islam. Accordingly, the Ilkhanids had first their coins minted entirely in Arabic script in this geography where Islam was dominant. Moreover, it is observed that the Ilkhanid coins were heavily featured with phrases referring to the beliefs of the local population in order to ensure the support of the local population, such as the first sentence of Islam, the word tawhid. Furthermore, it is seen that since the very beginning of their rule, phrases such as the first sentence of Islam, kalima-i tawhid, referring to the beliefs of the local Muslims, were extensively included in the Ilkhanid coins to secure the support of the local people. However, it has been demonstrated that Hülegü minted coins not only reflecting the Islamic notions and concerns but also his own beliefs, traditions and thoughts under the influence of Islam. Until his death in 1265, Hülegü intensively continued getting coins minted thanks to the rich treasures he captured from the regions spreading a wide geography. The coin patterns he created and formed were used and developed by the later Ilkhanids. This study has not only aimed to examine but also catalogue the 16 Ilkhan Hülegü coins registered in the inventory of the Anatolian Civilisations Museum.