2007.185: Coin of Ala Al-Din Muhammad Khalji, Sultan of Delhi

Identification and Creation

Object Number

2007.185

Title

Coin of Ala Al-Din Muhammad Khalji, Sultan of Delhi

Classification

Coins

Work Type

coin

Date

1296-1316

Places

Creation Place: South Asia, India, Delhi

Period

Sultanate period

Culture

Indian

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/317875

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Silver

Dimensions

2.8 cm in diameter

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

David Gordon Mitten, gift to HUAM. This coin came from the personal collection of Professor and Curator Emeritus, David Gordon Mitten

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift in honor of Rian Thum, Head Teaching Fellow of Literature and Arts B-21, "The Images of Alexander the Great"

Accession Year

2007

Object Number

2007.185

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

This silver coin was minted in Delhi by the third Sultan of the Khalji Dynasty (1290-1320 C.E.), Ala Al-Din Muhammad. The coin is struck on both sides and contains four registers of raised Arabic inscriptions framed in a square field on each side. The text block on the reverse is surrounded by a ring of Arabic inscriptions which are only partially visible on this coin. As in this example, most of the coins of the Delhi Sultans no longer employed the Kufic Script, instead favoring a medieval script.

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