Numismatist Rustam Huseynov provides insight into coins of Sheki Khanate [COMMENTARY]

The National Art Museum has hosted a lecture by numismatist Rustam Huseynov on the coins of the Sheki Khanate.

"Coins of the Sheki Khanate, especially transitional types, can tell a lot about important details of Azerbaijan's history, shed light on not only the political, but also the economic history of the late 18th to early 19th centuries. Some varieties and denominations are known in extremely limited numbers," Rustam Huseynov told Azernews.

The Sheki Khanate was a historical state that existed in the mid-18th to early 19th centuries in the northwest of modern Azerbaijan.

The coins of the Sheki Khanate, despite their significant importance to the history of Azerbaijan, are poorly researched and studied. The minting of its own coins was one of the most important regalia of the state, an attribute of power and sovereignty.

In his lecture, Rustam Huseynov provided insight into the denominations and types of Sheki coins, the characteristics of their minting, and touched on little-known facts about the appearance of the first coins of the Sheki Khanate, their status in the markets of that time, the types of Sheki coins with the crown of the Russian Empire, and the circulation of these types of coins after the liquidation of the Sheki Khanate.

The lecture showcased unique numismatic specimens of different denominations with great historical value, including rare heavy silver abbasis. Some of these were demonstrated to the public for the first time.

As Huseynov noted, besides the unique exhibits themselves, the audience was particularly interested in the differences between the nominal and real value of different types of coins, speculation conducted based on these differences, and the almost detective story related to private gain hindering the political process of unifying coin circulation in the region.

"The lecture sparked a large number of questions from participants related to little-known details of the minting of khan's coins, as well as the political and economic aspects associated with them," he added.