top of page


Roman Style : al-Malik al-Salih
This coin struck me as curious - copying 4th century Roman style portraits in the 12th century. Al-Malik al-Ṣāliḥ, was the Zengid emir...

sulla80
May 310 min read
254 views


Saturnalia Gift
Saturnalia in Red: an AI generated abstract image evoking the spirit of Saturnalia. Saturnalia is December 17th. I was excited to open...

sulla80
Dec 17, 20244 min read
24 views


The Children of Tamerlane
Gur-e-Amir - a mausoleum of the Asian conqueror Timur (also known as Tamerlane) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan ( Copyright: under license from...

sulla80
Dec 11, 202412 min read
288 views


Qazaghan's puppet
By the mid-14th century, the Chaghatai Khanate, originally established by Chaghatai, the second son of Genghis Khan, had begun to fracture.

sulla80
Dec 7, 20243 min read
42 views


Mamlūks
The arabic word مملوك or mamlūk means "owned" or "possessed". In the context of 13th century Islamic society, Mamlūks were usually ...

sulla80
Nov 30, 20246 min read
35 views


2024 - Top 10 Ancients
2024 has had ups and downs - it seems that every year I start with same thought. This has been an unusual year with and earth quake,...

sulla80
Nov 20, 202410 min read
234 views


Consequences of Insulting the Khan
This is the Kwarazmian Empire in 1215.....it was one of the most powerful and affluent states of its time. The Khwarezmian Empire, at the...

sulla80
Nov 10, 20245 min read
64 views


Anatolian Beyliks
The Seljuks of Rum, who ruled over much of Anatolia from the late 11th century, faced increasing pressure from the Mongol invasions...

sulla80
Nov 2, 202411 min read
170 views


Founder of the Sasanian Empire
The Coronation of Ardashir-e Babakan, a Sasanian rock relief, carved circa CE 235, located in the east corner of Naqsh-e Rostam, in the...

sulla80
Oct 11, 20245 min read
30 views


Fire Altars
Today's notes start from my latest coin, issued by the Islamic rulers of Bukhara, dating to the 8th century CE.

sulla80
Sep 22, 20247 min read
69 views


Ancient India: Coin Gallery
A Śivalinga as drawn by ChatGPT 4o Today's coins (20 of them) come with minimal descriptions of their era. This is a collection of...

sulla80
Sep 14, 20246 min read
669 views


Kaidu Khan & Khutulun
Kublai Khan (1215-1294), who was also called Emperor Shizu of the Yuan, was the son of Tolui, the youngest son of Genghis Khan. This...

sulla80
Sep 1, 20245 min read
139 views


Clashes in Transoxiana
I have to admit that I am drawn to coins that are not popular and periods in history that are not well known. One current interest is...

sulla80
Aug 11, 20243 min read
42 views


Stupor mundi / Wonder of the World
Detail from a 19th Century water color on paper depicting the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq. Accession Number XXIII-239 Salar Jung...

sulla80
Jul 7, 20248 min read
67 views


Vikram Samvat Calendar
The Vikrama Samvat is a Hindu luni-solar calendar, which means it is based on both the phases of the moon and the solar year. It has...

sulla80
Jun 2, 20241 min read
108 views


Mustafa II - Ottoman Empire
Mustafa II was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1695 to 1703. He ascended to the throne late in the The Great Turkish War (1683-1699)...

sulla80
May 11, 20246 min read
2,446 views


Reading Arabic Coins
"Harun al-Rashid receiving a delegation of Charlemagne in Baghdad", oil on canvas by Julius Köckert (1827–1918), 1864, held by the...

sulla80
Mar 11, 20245 min read
92 views


From Slave to Sultan
Baybars I was the fourth Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria from the Bahri dynasty, of Turkic Kipchak origin. Islamic, Mamluks, al-Zahir...

sulla80
Feb 10, 20244 min read
193 views


Selene, Moon Goddess
The ancient Romans, celebrated a feast on March 31st, in the Temple of Luna on the Aventine Hill to honor the Moon Goddess, a cult...

sulla80
Dec 26, 20238 min read
265 views


Mourning Saladin
This 1831 mezzotint print depicts the battle of Ascalon (circa CE 1192), with Richard I King of England, on a white charger, wielding an...

sulla80
Mar 19, 20235 min read
111 views
bottom of page