Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
800 years ago: The Mongols are coming!
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="THCoins, post: 4529308, member: 57364"]I think many aspects of the events of this time period centered around honour and respect.</p><p>The Khwarezmshah was not really involved in the daily lives of his subjects, nor in their petty local coinage for daily use. He did however think very highly of himself and demanded that people also expressed their respect, also in coinage.</p><p>Two examples of this:</p><p>First: Horseman Jital where the Kwarezm shah is named as "Iskandar al-Thani", which means "Alexander (the Great), the second".</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1121843[/ATTACH]</p><p>Second, where he takes an even more grandiose title: Obv text: “<b>السلطان</b> / <b>ظل الله في</b> / <b>الأرض</b> “ “Al-Sultan / Zil Allah fi / al’ard”. Which translates as: “The Sultan, the shadow of Allah on earth”.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1121844[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Giving in to demands of some Mongol envoy would have been an insult to his honour.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Mongols were not that different. The Khan commanded respect. Resistance was seen as disrespectfull and was repressed with brute force. Ofcourse there also were cultural differences. At the onset the Mongols did not really see the value of precious metals. If the ruler of a city though he just could buy of the Mongol army with some gold and silver but did not show sufficient diplomacy and respect he had a problem.</p><p>There was largely a tolerance for religious matters, as long as it did not question the power of the Khan. The religious authority of the Abbassid caliph was not perceived as a danger. A confrontation only became unavoidable because the caliph also claimed political power which opposed Mongol supremacy.</p><p>Conversion of Mongol rulers to Islam took several decades. This would not have been possible if they would have completely distroyed the society they conquered. Instead, social structure stayed largely intact. The ruling class of administrators and advisors to the ruler consisted largely of Muslim Persians who had major influence in the "assimilation" of the Mongols.</p><p>The Mongols did have their own religious system, with belief in a creator. There is also numismatic evidence that local authorities tried to bridge Islamic and Mongol religious beliefs:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1121845[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The obverse text here reads: "بتوفیق پروردگار ", <i>“be-Taufiq-i Parwardigar”, </i>Which translates as<i>: “By the grace of the Omnipotent”</i>. There is a similar type which has the text <i>“be-qovvat-e aferidegar-e 'alam”, = “By the power of the creator”.</i> So, there is a reference to a highest authority, but the name of Allah was avoided.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="THCoins, post: 4529308, member: 57364"]I think many aspects of the events of this time period centered around honour and respect. The Khwarezmshah was not really involved in the daily lives of his subjects, nor in their petty local coinage for daily use. He did however think very highly of himself and demanded that people also expressed their respect, also in coinage. Two examples of this: First: Horseman Jital where the Kwarezm shah is named as "Iskandar al-Thani", which means "Alexander (the Great), the second". [ATTACH=full]1121843[/ATTACH] Second, where he takes an even more grandiose title: Obv text: “[B]السلطان[/B] / [B]ظل الله في[/B] / [B]الأرض[/B] “ “Al-Sultan / Zil Allah fi / al’ard”. Which translates as: “The Sultan, the shadow of Allah on earth”. [ATTACH=full]1121844[/ATTACH] Giving in to demands of some Mongol envoy would have been an insult to his honour. The Mongols were not that different. The Khan commanded respect. Resistance was seen as disrespectfull and was repressed with brute force. Ofcourse there also were cultural differences. At the onset the Mongols did not really see the value of precious metals. If the ruler of a city though he just could buy of the Mongol army with some gold and silver but did not show sufficient diplomacy and respect he had a problem. There was largely a tolerance for religious matters, as long as it did not question the power of the Khan. The religious authority of the Abbassid caliph was not perceived as a danger. A confrontation only became unavoidable because the caliph also claimed political power which opposed Mongol supremacy. Conversion of Mongol rulers to Islam took several decades. This would not have been possible if they would have completely distroyed the society they conquered. Instead, social structure stayed largely intact. The ruling class of administrators and advisors to the ruler consisted largely of Muslim Persians who had major influence in the "assimilation" of the Mongols. The Mongols did have their own religious system, with belief in a creator. There is also numismatic evidence that local authorities tried to bridge Islamic and Mongol religious beliefs: [ATTACH=full]1121845[/ATTACH] The obverse text here reads: "بتوفیق پروردگار ", [I]“be-Taufiq-i Parwardigar”, [/I]Which translates as[I]: “By the grace of the Omnipotent”[/I]. There is a similar type which has the text [I]“be-qovvat-e aferidegar-e 'alam”, = “By the power of the creator”.[/I] So, there is a reference to a highest authority, but the name of Allah was avoided.[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
800 years ago: The Mongols are coming!
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...