Der Islam 2015; 92(1): 197–246 Alexander V. Akopyan, Farbod Mosanef Between Jūjīds and Jalāyirids: the Coinage of the Chopānids, Akhījūq and their Contemporaries, 754–759/1353–1358 Abstract: Coins of the Chopānid Ḥusayn struck in 740/1339–40, and of the Īlkhāns, Jūjīds, the Chopānid Ashraf and Akhījūq, struck in the last years of the Īlkhānate (754–9/1353–8) in the South Caucasus and Iran, constitute a historical source for an area little covered by the chronicles of the time. This article focuses on the anonymous coinage of 740/1339–40 struck in Shīrāz and commissioned by the Chopānid Ḥusayn or the Īnjūid Masʿūd Shāh, four coin types of the Chopānid Ashraf (struck with his name in 754–7/1353–6, and anonymously with the laqab “al-sulṭān al-ʿādil” in 758/1357), and two coin types of Akhījūq (759/1357–8, anon- ymously with the ʿalāma “naṣr min Allāh”). Evidence based on historical and numismatic dates is presented for the attribution of the anonymous coins of 758/1357 to Ashraf and of 759/1357–8 to Akhījūq. Localization of ten mint places are discussed and specified. Keywords: numismatics, Chopānids, Ilkhāns, Jūjīds, Jalāyirids, Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Adharbayjān, Shirwān DOI 10.1515/islam-2015-0008 The Chopānids The Chopānids¹ were one of the most powerful families in the Īlkhān state, orig- inating in the Mongol Sulduz tribe. Amīr Chopān was the supreme amīr, amīr 1 Known also as Chobānids, Chūpānids, Chūbānids or Jobānids, ﻰϧ ﭼﻮﭘﺎﺮϴϣا. In our article, we use the spelling Chopānids, derived from the Iranian ﭼﻮﭘﺎنchopān < shubān “shepherd”. This word, in the forms of cioban, choban and chaban, was borrowed by many languages and is still in use in Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Ukraine, Moldova, N. and S. Caucasus, Iran and Turkey. Uljaytū called his close amīr Chopān exactly in this sense when he named him as a “shepherd (of the state)” for the juvenile Abū Saʿīd. See Khafiz Abru (Ḥāfiẓ-i Abrū), Zayl-i dzhami at-tavarikh-i rashidi, Alexander V. Akopyan: Moscow, alexakopyan@gmail.com Farbod Mosanef: Tehran, sorena_m75@yahoo.com Authenticated | alexakopyan@gmail.com author's copy Download Date | 4/26/15 1:53 PM