Coin of Giyath al-Din Kay-Khosraw II (reigned 1237-46)

With the Arabic language as one of the most ubiquitous symbols of Islam, the script also became the principal element on coins, which served to represent the authority of the Islamic dynasties. Upon accession to the throne, each ruler considered it his royal prerogative to strike a coin in his name, thus affirming his new power and status. In addition to the king's name, the date, and place of the mint, most medieval Islamic coins also carried the shahada (the profession of faith: "there is no God but God and Muhammad is the Prophet of God").

While most coins were relatively simple in design and relied primarily on writing as their decoration, others were more elaborate and combined words and images, as is evident from the silver coin on view. This thirteenth-century example is embellished with a depiction of a lion and a sun, probably representing the constellation Leo--an auspicious sign for Kay-Khusraw II, the Saljuq ruler of Anatolian Turkey in the thirteenth century.