ILKHANS, Sati Beg, Queen, 1338-1339 AD, dirham, Hisn

DescriptionSati Beg was one of the few Queens of the Islamic world. Like everyone else back then, the relatives were all fighting each other for power. Sati Beg was put up by a faction. It was a desperate measure that didn’t work out.Ilkhan is a Persianization of the name of the founder, the Mongol Hulagu, son of Tolui, grandson of Chingis Khan. It was powerful and wealth for about a century, then the twin scourges of dynastic wars and the Black Plague hit it hard and it fell apart.The term “Islamic coins” refers to coins made by Muslim governments from the time of the first caliphs to an end point in time that varies with the particular country being considered, but is generally some time from the 17th to 19th century. There is a geographic exclusion: India and points east are generally considered separately. The main reference used here is “Checklist of Islamic Coins,” by Stephen Album.