Coins struck at Herat
2 catalogued coins and notes attributed to Herat, with weights, legends, dates and Wikimedia-sourced images across Timurid & Safavid, Qajar Dynasty.
In short
Herat, the great oasis city of Khorasan in western Afghanistan, was a mint under nearly every dynasty that ruled eastern Iran — Ghurid, Timurid, Safavid, Afsharid and Qajar coinage all bears its name. Herat is a mint of the Iranian world represented in the Persian Treasury catalogue by 2 coins and notes struck between 850 CE – 1856 CE. Its output here covers Silver in the Kran denominations, issued under Ulugh Beg, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar.
- Catalogued
- 2
- Eras
- 2
- Metals
- 1
- Denominations
- 1
Key facts
| Catalogued pieces | 2 |
|---|---|
| Date range | 850 CE – 1856 CE |
| Eras represented | Timurid & Safavid, Qajar Dynasty |
| Metals | Silver |
| Denominations | Kran |
| Issuers | Ulugh Beg, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar |
| Region | Khorasan, western Afghanistan |
| Peak | Timurid cultural capital, 15th century |
| Issuers | Ghurid, Timurid, Safavid, Afsharid, Qajar |
| Left Iranian control | After the Anglo-Persian War, 1857 |
A Khorasan capital
Herat's position on the road between the Iranian plateau and Central Asia made it a natural administrative and commercial centre, and under the Timurids it became one of the leading cultural capitals of the Islamic world.
Because control of Herat repeatedly changed hands, its coinage is a political register: the name in the mint legend stays constant while the sovereign named above it changes, sometimes several times in a decade.
Herat in the nineteenth century
Qajar Iran claimed Herat into the 1850s; the 1856–1857 Anglo-Persian War ended those claims and detached the city permanently. Qajar coins struck at Herat therefore document a contested sovereignty that formal treaties later erased.
For collectors, Herat mint marks appear across silver krans, Timurid tankas and Afsharid rupees, making the city one of the few threads running through the whole Islamic-era section of an Iranian cabinet.
Timurid & Safavid · 1370 – 1736 CE
Era overview →Qajar Dynasty · 1789 – 1925 CE
Era overview →Frequently asked about Herat
- Was Herat part of Iran?
- For long periods yes. Qajar Iran claimed and periodically held Herat until the Anglo-Persian War of 1856–1857, after which it became permanently Afghan.
- What coins were struck at Herat?
- Ghurid and Timurid silver, Safavid abbasis, Afsharid rupees and Qajar krans, among others — the mint name recurs across roughly seven centuries.
- What coins were struck at Herat?
- Herat is a mint of the Iranian world represented in the Persian Treasury catalogue by 2 coins and notes struck between 850 CE – 1856 CE. Its output here covers Silver in the Kran denominations, issued under Ulugh Beg, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar.
- How many Herat pieces are catalogued on Persian Treasury?
- 2 items, dated 850 CE – 1856 CE, spread across 2 eras: Timurid & Safavid, Qajar Dynasty.
- Which metals were used for Herat coinage?
- Silver. Each entry records the metal, the approximate weight where known, and a cited reference.
- Which denominations are associated with Herat?
- Kran. Every denomination has its own reference page with dated examples.