Tamgha of “Guyuk” and the Jochids of the House of Orduids (the story of one mistake)

Abstract

Research objectives: The purpose of this study is to attribute unusual tamghas found on silver dirhams to the representatives of the House of Chingizids and establish their chronological attribution. Research materials: We have examined silver coins with unusual tamghas discovered in Kazakhstan. One tamgha is depicted as two circles connected by a line. Our focus is on a type of dirhams that has been known since the early 20th century. These dirhams lacked attribution but were published by N.P. Likhachev due to the presence of an unusual tamgha. The weight of these coins is approximately 1 gram, and the coin legends do not provide conclusive information for dating. We have identified three types of dirhams. One type of dirhams can be dated to 685 AH/1286 CE. It bears an inscription, yet there are challenges in interpreting these legends, including reading the name of the mint. The tamga was previously attributed as the property mark of Ogedei Khan. Two types of coins remain anonymous. We have identified three types of tamghas on these coins. Results and novelty of the research: We have identified a region with a significant number of discovered coins, primarily located in the vicinity of the medieval towns of Barchanlig-Ashnas-Jend in the Aral Sea region. It has been determined that some coins were minted on silver dirhams of Khwarazm during 681–690 AH. One dirham retains the original year of issue, 688 AH/1289 CE. These coins are not associated with the minting of Ogedei, and the tamgha on them does not match either. These dirhams were minted under the authority of Konichi, the ruler of the Ordu ulus. This research has opened up a new avenue in the field of Juchid numismatics. The exploration in this direction holds promise for shaping new insights into specific historical events within the Orduid’s ulus.

Keywords

• coin
• dirhem
• tamgha
• juchids
• orduids
• kazakhstan
• jend
• barchanlyg
• ashnas