Medieval silver coins found during excavations in Atyrau region

During excavations in the Aktobe-Laeti settlement, Atyrau archaeologists from the Khalel Dosmukhamedov University discovered rare ancient silver coins, which were examined by Russian professor and numismatist Pavel Petrov. He deciphered the mintage and highly praised the find, the Regional Communications Service reports.

The ancient items belong to the type of coins issued during the time of Khan Mengu-Temir, the ruler of the Golden Horde founded in the Jochi ulus.

“According to the famous numismatist, these coins date back to the second half of the 13th century. On one side of the cast coin are depicted the tamgas (signs) of Khan Mengu-Temir, and on the other – Chinese characters. This is associated with the capture of a political prisoner named Nomukhan during conflicts between the descendants of Kubylai (lineage from Genghis Khan) and the Chagatai Ulus,” archaeologist Amangeldy Mugauuly said.

It is also reported that during the excavations, a valuable artifact was found in its entirety – a ceramic bowl "Tagara".

“In the last two or three years, we have been paying special attention to this place. The territory of the settlement, 53 hectares in area, is completely fenced. In the future, we plan to create an open-air museum here,” the Head of the regional center for the study of historical and cultural heritage, Tolybai Dostybayev said.

History students from Atyrau University also took part in the archaeological research. Now, the artifacts found on a 500-square-meter site of the ancient settlement are planned to be studied in detail in the university laboratory.