AN OVERVIEW OF THE OTTOMAN COINS AT İZNİK MUSEUM

Abstract

In Islamic countries, coins were minted in accordance with the orders of the sultans when they ascended to the throne. Coins are objective documents that reflect the conditions of the historical periods when they were minted. Coins depict the power of sovereigns and are also economic documents. These coins minted from the materials of gold, silver, copper, and nickel document the history of the Ottoman Empire’s economy. A wide range of coins were minted at several royal mints during the Ottoman Empire. In Ottoman coin mints, coins were first minted with hammers, and later with rakkas (hand-operated screw presses). Finally, automatic mint machines were imported for Ottoman mints. As distributed in different continents, the Ottoman state minted coins in each of the land it conquered, either in local royal mints or by establishing new royal mints, therefore it constituted a wide range of royal mints. Since its foundation, the Ottoman State presented a wide range of coins in conjunction with its sultans, the Interregnum Era princes, and commonly minted coins with other beylics (principalities). Of the 4,200 Ottoman coins at the İznik Museum, this study examines 25 coins for each sultan. The catalogue was created by selecting these examples of the coins of the sultans. The coins are described in chronological order in the catalogue along with their photographs, drawings, information, inscriptions and ornamentation. The study of these coins will contribute to research in the field of numismatics.