Coin Afghanistan Falus, Lion & Sword - 1130 AH (1717 / 1718) Herat

This copper falus was struck in Herat and bears the date 1130 AH, corresponding to the years 1717?1718 of the Christian era. It belongs to the civic coinage of the city, characterized by the use of a frozen date, meaning a year retained across several successive issues without necessarily reflecting the actual year of manufacture of each piece.

The obverse features a lion, an emblematic motif widely spread across the iconographic traditions of Iran and Central Asia, while the reverse is adorned with a sabre, a symbol of authority and military power frequently used in the regional coinages of the period.

This issue falls within a period of profound political upheaval. At the beginning of the 18th century, the authority of the Safavid Empire gradually weakened in its eastern provinces. In 1717, Herat came under the control of the Abdalis, an Afghan confederation that was asserting itself as a major regional political force. A few years later, in 1722, the capture of Isfahan by the Ghilzais of Mir Mahmoud led to the collapse of the Safavid state. Located at the heart of these upheavals, Herat nonetheless maintained a sustained economic and commercial activity. The use of civic copper coinage with a frozen date reflects the determination of local authorities to ensure the continuity of daily trade despite the instability of central power.