Enter your search terms Submit search form

 

Tarkhans of Sind

Anonymous copper coins by Mirza Baqi Beg Tarkhan and Mirza Isa Khan Tarkhan.

Dynasty suppressed by Mughal emperor Akbar after conquest of Thatta.

Hussain Shah Arghun was an independent sultan of Thatta. He was not a feudatory to any other ruler. He was of Timurid descent and was the son of Shuja’a Beg alias Shah Beg Arghun son of Amir Zu’alnun. {Amir Zu’alnun was a commander of Hussain Shah Timurid (Ruled 862 to 911 AH) and a tutor to his son Badi’uzzaman (Ruled 905 to 908 and 911 to 914 AH). He was made the administrator of Dawar, Sagar, Tobuk and Karah in 884 AH}.  During the turmoil period Amir Zu’alnun became quasi-independent and appointed his son Shah Beg as ruler of Qandhar (please see entries number K2467 and L2467 of Mr. Album’s ‘A Checklist of Islamic coins’ [second edition]). After the death in 930 AH of Shah Beg Arghun, who had occupied parts of Sindh, his son Hussain Shah Arghun was ousted from Qandhar by the Mughals under Babar. Hussain Shah established a Timurid sultanate in upper and central Sindh extending into the present day Rajasthan on the east and Baluchistan on the West. His capital was at Thatta. According to one account he was induced by Babar to attack Multan as the Langah rulers of Multan were feudatories to the Lodhi Sultanate and Babar did not wish to encounter any significant opposition before meeting the Delhi forces. Hussain Shah Arghun attacked Multan in 1526 AD [932-33 AH] and after a prolonged siege Hussain Shah-II Langah capitulated and Multan was annexed to the kingdom of Thatta.  The early Mughals, Babar and Humayun did not bother the Arghun Sultanate  but when Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun in 945 AH [1538 AD], Humayun fled westwards and sought refuge in the sultanate of Thatta. Except for initial superficial goodwill, Hussain Shah Arghun withheld all material help from Humayun, and made all possible efforts to prevent the westwards escape of Humayun by denying him boats (to cross the Indus) and provisions and transport for the royal entourage. He attempted to create rift between the fugitive emperor and his uncle Mirza Yadgar Nasir Beg by minting coins at Bhakkar in the name of latter {No such coin has been reported in any numismatic reference so far but we might stumble upon one of those coins some day}. Reverting to our subject, we find that Humayun managed to escape to Iran in a most wretched condition. Mirza Yadgar Nasir too was subsequently expelled in an unceremonious manner. In the meantime Hussain Shah Arghun had married his daughter Mahe-Chuchak to Mirza Kamran, the younger brother of Humayun and ruler (after the death of Babar) of Kabul, Qandhar and the Punjab. (Kamran at a later stage sought refuge with Arghun after Humayun returned with Persian assistance but was ultimately captured & blinded by Humayun). Hussain Shah Arghun died in 964 AH [1556 AD] and was succeeded by his son Sultan Mahmood at Bhakkar (Northern Sind), whereas Mirza Isa Beg Tarkhan, a former commander of Shah Beg Arghun, occupied Thatta (South). Both the Sultanates lasted for a while, the former for another 18 years before its annexation by Akbar and the latter for 36 years up to 1000 AH when it was conquered by Khan-e-Khanan. Both of these small Sultanates minted coins albeit only of copper. A reference to Tarkhan coins is available in ONS Newsletter number 129 (June-July 1991).  The coins indicate mint of Thatta and the year as 983 AH [1585 AD] and some as 984 AH [1586 AD]. The obverse side depicts a crudely designed bird, probably peacock. Isa Beg was succeeded by his son Baqi Beg in 983 AH.

The whole lot for $ 80 plus $ 10 for postage

 

1		2
	Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 98? AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 5		Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 984 AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 10
3		4
	Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 981 AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 5		Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 986 AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 5
5		6
	Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 9?? AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 10		Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 984 AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 20
7		8
	Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 989 AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 10		Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 98? AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 10
9		10
	Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 981 AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 15		Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta ??? AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 5
11		12
	Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 983 AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 15		Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 982 AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 10
13		14
	Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 983 AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 25		Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 982 AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 15
15		16
	Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 982 AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 15		Obv: Falus Zarb Tatta 983 AH Rev: Cursive drawing of bird right. $ 15

Next page (#4) of Sultanate coins