Suleyman I, Ottoman Sultan AH 926-974/AD 1520-1566

A 1317, Nearly Mint State

Misr (Cairo) mint. Sultan Suleyman bin sultan Selim khan ‘azza nasruhu, mint and date below; Reverse, darib al-nadr wa sahib al-‘izz al-nasr fi’l birr wa’l-bahr “the striker of precious metal, and master of glory, the victorious on land and sea”.

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Suleyman I “the Magnificent” (AH 926-974/ AD 1520-1566), is the most famous of all Ottoman sultans. During his reign, the Ottoman Empire reached its zenith. He conquered most of Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, much of North Africa and Rhodes. Suleyman captured Baghdad from the Ottomans which, along with the capture of Basra, gave Ottoman contol of Mesopotamia and direct access to the Persia Gulf. He laid siege to Vienna, which created fear in every capital of Europe but had to withdraw after two major defeats at the hands of the combined Austro-Hungarian forces. His navy dominated the Mediterranean Sea, giving the Ottomans the ability to land troops in far-flung places and to expand their maritime trade. He is known as “Law Giver” in Turkish, Arabic and Persian sources for his legal reforms. He was contemporary with Tahmasp I of Persia with whom he waged war. Eventually Suleiman entered in to peace agreement with Tahmasp I ending the hostilities.