Uljaytu, Mongol Ilkhan of Persia AH 703-716/AD 1304-1316

SICA-9, 921 var (same obverse die but mint name Shiraz below reverse field); A 2182, Mint State

Shiraz mint. Within quatrefoil, duriba fi / ‘ayam dawla al-malawi / al-sultan al-a’zam malik ruqab / al-ummam Auljaitu sultan ghiyath / al-dunya wa al-din Khudabanda Muhammad / khallad Allah / mulkahu; in upper right margin, name of Uljaytu in Uighur; upper left, Qur’an 30:4; lower right and left, mint and date. Reverse, Shi’ite Kalima with bism allah al-karim around; in margin, the Twelve Imams. Mint clear, date confirmed by die link.

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Uljaytu (AH 703-716/ AD 1304-1316) was the eight ruler of the Ilkhans of Persia. He received various embassies from Europe who established consulates in his capital Tabriz in northwestern Iran. The Byzantines, out of fear of the Ottoman Turks, pursued an alliance with Uljaytu. His mausoleum in the province of Zanjan, Iran is an architectural masterpiece. The ribbing system for the dome’s construction remains a testimony to the skill and knowledge of the architects and builders. The Florence Cathedral’s dome designed and built by Filippo Brunelleschi almost a century later bears many similarities in design and execution to this dome. Like other dynasties in the region, the Ilkhanate faced challenges from competing warlords and eventually fragmented into smaller kingdoms.