Kashmir Coinage- The Sultanate Period (1339 - 1586)

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There are millions of ancient coins still unidentified in various collections and museums in the under developed countries and a very little numismatic heritage in these countries so far has been properly identified and interpreted. Wherever these coins have been studied these have helped a lot to the historians in filing up the missing gaps of their respective histories besides also facilitating the reconstruction of political, cultural and trade history of the civilizations. The numismatic heritage of Jammu and Kashmirmore or less has remained unattended. A very little of this heritage has been studied by the British numismatists during surveys of 19TH and 20TH century. Alexander Cunningham was perhaps the first archaeologist and numismatist who under- took the study of Kashmir coins. Besides him, Numismatists and scholars like Rodgers. Lane Pole and Nelson Wright also worked on Kashmir coins. These scholars while studying the Kashmir Sultanate coinages had not come across coins of the earlier five Sultans, Sultan Shames Shah Jamshid, Aludin-Ali-Sher, Shahab-ud-Din and Qutub-ud-Din.
It is for the first time in the entire history of Kashmir archaeology when Iqbal Ahmad the local archaeologist under took the study of the Kashmir Sultanate coins. For this purpose he had chosen the Barthan Coin hoard which was found at Barthan Qamarwari at the outskirts of the Srinagar city in the year 2003. During the study of this hoard, Iqbal Ahmad could also not find coins of these sultans and he concluded that either these Sultans had not coined their money or their coins were not found. However, Nelson Wright in his catalogue of the coins in Indian Museum Calcutta, has attributed a single silver coin to Shams Shah I, Dilip Rajgor also in his standard catalogue of Sultanate coins has meritioned single silver coin of the same king but other numismatists have questioned its identity and these experts believe it as the coin of Shames Shab II (941-42AH). In view of these observations the Sultanate numismatic history emerges from the period of Sultan Sikandar who ascended the throne in 788AH and continued up to 813AH. The constant type of coins stuck by Kashmir sultans was the Al-Sultan Al Azam type which was introduced by Kashmir Muslim Sultans in the 14TH century AD. Sultans coined money in copper, silver and gold. Few brass coins of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin are also known. Their coins carried the legend Al sultan Al Azam with the name of the sultan on obverse and the mint name and date on reverse.
The book titled Kashmir coinage is the first book where in the coins of Kashmir sultans have been first time treated elaborately. The sultanate chronology has followed with a discussion on Sanskrit and Persian chronicles of Kashmir. A brief history of general coins and various metals is also discussed in the book, which is in turn followed by Kashmir Sultanate coins. The Numismatic hoard found at Barthan, Qamarwari and Srinagar which carried exclusively the coins of the Sultans stands classified and catalogued in this book. It is first time when the coins of Kashmir Sultans have been elaborately discussed and catalogued. It is the first book on this subject and the readers: interested in Sultanate Period history and coinage would find it most useful and very interesting.

Iqbal Ahmad belongs to a reputed Peerzada family of South Kashmir. He is born in village Parigam, Check Kulgam, on May 23, 1962. He had his basic education from his local Government School; he joined the Government higher secondary institute Kulgam in 1979 and later Degree Collage Anantnag. After graduating in Arts from Kashmir University in 1983, he did his Post Graduate Diploma in Numismatics in year 1992 from Indian Institute of Research in Numismatic Studies Nasik, Maharashtra (India), He got training in archaeology, paleography and Epigraphy from institute of Archaeology Red Fort Delhi and did many workshops on archaeology conservation. He is also working in the Jammu and Kashmir state Archives, Archaeology and Museums and presently posted in SPS Museum at Lal Mandi, Srinagar Kashmir.
Professionally, he is a Senior Archaeologist and Author. He started his writing career in 1985 while contributing articles to various newspapers and journals. He has made several Archaeological and Numismatic discoveries. The Author has written number of books and research papers on Kashmir Archaeology, heritage and culture. Archaeology is his favorite field of Research wherein he has undertaken the scientific study of archaeological sites and materials. He has achieved great fame and name in the field of Archaeology researches. The archaeologist presently stays at Athawajan.