Shah Abbas I
Shah of Iran, 1578-1629 AD


Silver Abbasi (4 Shahi), 22 mm.
Inscriptions both sides.
Struck 1578-1588 AD

Abbas I, regarded as one of the greatest Persian rulers, began his reign by ceding territory to his foes.  He used the time he gained in doing so to create a standing army, the first in Persia.  He ultimately won back the territory and expanded Persia's boundaries to the Indus in the east and to the Tigris in the west.  From 1602 he campaigned against the Ottoman Turks, capturing Tabriz, Erivan, Shirvan, Baghdad, and Mosul.  Abbas also restored internal order, promoted trade and the arts, and made his new capital at Isfahan one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

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