On the Trace of a Coin from Karacahisar Castle: The Coins of Murad I dated Ramadan 790

Abstract

The subject of this article is the mangırs dated Ramadan 790 belonging to the period of Murad I, which contain expressions on them for the first time among Ottoman coins. This type of coin is important in that it is the only Ottoman coin that reports the year it was minted with the month detail (Ramadan). These coins are also the only example among the Ottoman mangırs on which the name of the sultan’s father is not written. Another remarkable feature is that the phrase “azze nasruhu” written on the mangırs is seen on this type for the first time among Ottoman mangırs. Although there are many coins of Ramadan 790 in museums and private collections, this coin type has not been studied in detail in terms of numismatics until now. In addition, the relationship between the data on the coins and the historical process has not been evaluated in the context of cause and effect. Karacahisar Castle excavations have been continuing intermittently since 2001. During the 2019-2022 excavation seasons, 281 coins (7 Akches, 274 Mangırs) belonging to Murad I were found. It has been determined that 40 of these coins are mangırs dated Ramadan 790, which is the subject of the article. Since the exact date is reported on these coins, it has made a significant contribution to the dating of other archaeological data encountered in the context in which it was found and also has been the source of important inferences about the historical process of Karacahisar Castle and a historical interval where written sources are very scarce. In this study, in the light of the samples found in the Karacahisar Castle excavations, the mentioned coin type was analyzed and evaluated within the framework of numismatics, the reasons for the preferences encountered for the first time in this coin group were emphasized. In addition, in this article, it has been discussed in the context of cause and effect relationship whether there is a connection between the coins minted on a date between 3 September and 2 October 1388 and the historical events that took place on these dates.