The Shi i Rites Carved on Islamic Coins up to the Formation of Safawid Government

Coins are among the most important signs of governments, and any sign or motto carved on coins shows the tendencies of the owners. Some governments formed in Shiite regions, or by dynasties supporting Shiite Imams, would carve Shiite mottos on their coins. In view of Arghun’s oppositions with Sunnites and increase of Shiite power after the fall of Baghdad, he carved the motto of “Ali Wali-Allah” on his coins. In later periods, the Shiite rites spread more and Imams’ names were carved on coins from the period of Ghāzān Khan. Under Muhammad Khudā Banda, two Shiite and Sunnite coins were minted, and this continued up to the Safawid period. The present study tries to investigate the following questions: “Were there any Shiite motto on the coins before the formation of Shiite governments?” and “Why were the Shiite rites carved on the coins?” The results show that before the formal establishment of Safawid dynasty in Iran, various rulers minted many coins with Shiite signs with certain political, social and religious motivations in various historical eras. Therefore, the present study covers the period before establishment of Safawid dynasty. The research method was historical research method based on historical and library resources along with coinage studies.