Azad Khan Ghaljaie; The Sunnite Ruler and Mintage of Imam Mahdi’s Coin

The inscriptions and the themes on the Iranian coins underwent changes in content with the rise and fall of the governments. The Iranian rulers – especially from the fall of Safawiya to the early years of Qajar period – prepared the ground for those changes due to various reasons. Examples of those themes are found on the coins of Afghan Azad Khan. The subject of this study is the Sunnite Azad Khan’s incentive and his purpose for using Imam Mahdi’s name on his coins. The findings of the study show that the themes and slogans inscribed on the coins suggest the worldview and religious, moral and political convictions of a society wherein those coins were used. Thus, although the mintage and inscription of the coins and their inscriptions were at the hands of Azad Khan Ghalzaie, he would respect the Shiite beliefs of his followers out of expediency and minted coins with the name of Imam Mahdi to gain their satisfaction. This study uses library sources and a descriptive-analytical method to gather data from the first-hand sources to first investigate the importance of the science of minting coins and then the Azad Khan’s seizing power after the murder of Nader Shah. It continues with a short investigation of the evolution of rites inscribed on the coins in Safawid period and the recess period, and inscribing the Shiite themes in Ghazaie Afghans period and under Nader Shah. Finally, it analyses and explains minting coins in the name of Imam Mahdi by Azad Khan.