A journey to search my soul

This is a blog of my personal collections. The purpose of this blog is to educate myself and public in regards to antiquities especially related to religion and calligraphy. I welcome everyone to input their feedback in this blog which they think would be helpful. I do not watermark the photos in this blog so everyone is free to use them as long as they are not used for illegal and unethical reasons. I appreciate if you could notify me if you plan to use any of the photos here. Enjoy browsing!!

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Ancient Coin Review 109 : Sultanah Inayat Shah Zakiat Ad Din Shah ( Aceh Sultanate 1678-1688 CE)

This is a gold coin from Sultanah Inayat Shah Zakiat Ad Din Shah era. She is the third female to be throned in Aceh Sultanate and daughter of Sultan Muhammad Shah. She reigned Aceh from 1678 - 1688 CE.
In 1683 CE , she had the "honor" of receiving a delegation and gifts from the Sharif of Mecca which originally intended for Great Moghul Aurangzeb who refused the delegation.
Aurangzeb coin can be seen in below link :
Aurangzeb Coin

While I couldn't find any reference as why the Mughal Emperor refused the delegation, I found interesting impact of the delegation visit to Aceh from the book, Islam in Modern Asia written by I.K. Khan.l

Th original intent of this delegation was to visit Moghul Sultan Aurangzeb however he refused to entertain them.( If anyone knows the reason of this refusal please share with us!)
The delegation then stopped in Aceh and was well received by the Sultanah Zakiat Din and the people of Aceh. Letters and gifts were presented to the Sultanah. The delegation was asked to stay few days in Aceh while the Sultanah has ordered the preparation of gifts for them. One of the gifts prepared was a gold statue made from gold from the palace and the Bayt Al Rahman Mosque which were destroyed by fire during the reign of Sultanah Naqittat Din.
These gifts were brought back to Mecca and some of them were distributed to the poor population in the Haramayn.
This visit was a controversial one as the ruler of the Aceh was a woman whereas the Islamic law prohibit a woman to be a ruler. This visit has boosted the prestige of the Sultanah. While the Haramayn ulama were silent in this matter during Sultanah Zakiataddin reign, the people Aceh have also stop disputing the status of a woman ruler.
The silence was broken during the reign of Sultanah Kamalat Ad Din when the Chief Mufti of Mecca has issued a fatwa declaring the Islamic Kingdom cannot be ruled by a woman ruler. As a result, the Sultanah was deposed from the throne and replace with a male Sultan, Badr Alam.

Looking at the Arabic calligraphy used, its quite tricky as the calligraphy is compressed to fit on the coin face. However it has the resemblance to Thuluth & Sini. Or probably this is how Malay calligraphy was derived.

Obverse : فادك سر سلطانه عناية شاه    
                Paduka Sri Sultanah Inayah Shah
Reverse : زكية الدين بردولة شاه
                Zakiat Ad Din Berdaulat Shah


Aceh is a state located at the northern end of Sumatra island ( Indonesia). It is also known by its Arabic honorific Darus Salam ( Abode of Peace) from 1511-1959 CE.
Aceh's origins are unquestionably Cham, as the Champa king Syah Pau Kubah sent his son Syah Pau Ling to rule over Aceh when the capital Vijaya in 1471 AD, was sacked by the Vietnamese Le Dynasty.
The Sultanate of Aceh was founded in 1511 CE after the fall of Pasai Sultanate by Sultan Ali Mughayat Shah. It’s presumed that he is the same person as Syah Pau Ling who converted to Islam.
The Sultanate lasted till 1903 when the last Aceh Sultan Muhammad III Daud Shah Johan Berdaulat surrendered to Dutch occupation.

See my other coin below :
Sultanah Inayat

Obv:  فادك سر سلطانه عناية شاه    
          Paduka Sri Sultanah Inayah Shah

Rev: زكية الدين بردولة شاه
          Zakiat Ad Din Berdaulat Shah
Weight : 0.60 gm
Dim : 14mm
Date : 1678 - 1688 CE
Rarity :
Denom : Mas
Material : Gold
Reference : A 19a type 4 pg 179 ( Jaarboek Voor Munt-en Penningkunde)

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