Dinars of Toghril Beg and Malik Shah

Toghril Beg (1040-63) was the first sultan of the Great Seljuq dynasty, a Turkic tribe originating in the region of the Caspian Sea. They ruled Persia, Iraq and Syria from 1040 to 1194. Seljuq coinage is predominantly in gold. Toghril Beg's coins are characterized by the use of tribal emblems, like a bow or a mace, which appear on both sides of this example, and by the use of the Persian title Shahanshah ('King of Kings'). Malik Shah (1073-92) was the third and most powerful of the Seljuq sultans. Malik Shah's vizier was the well-known figure Nizam al-Mulk, who created a strong and effective government and promoted a structure of religious teaching along orthodox Sunni lines. The court at Nishapur attracted scientists and writers from all over the Islamic world including the Persian poet Omar Khayyam (1048-1131), famous for his ruba'iyat (quatrains).