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cultivated).

This progressively less appropriate name may be supposed to have merged into the official Jannatábád, which follows in

Mint sequence.

5. Sanárgaon, as a rule, retains its ancient discriminative designation of J1⁄4ạ ¿å, a title which it eventually had to cede to its rival Muazamábád.

6. Muazamabad. There is no definite authority for the determination of the site of this city, which, however, seems to have been founded by Sikandar about 758-759 A. H., when his own coins record that he himself assumed the title of, without trenching upon the superlative usually reserved for the reigning monarch. I conclude that there was a gradual migration from the ancient Sonárgaon to the new city, which grew in importance from the governmental centre implied in the (No. 19) of 760 A. H., to the slabesed sal, "the great city of Muazamábád" (No. 18) of about 780 A. H., till, on the disappearance of the name of Sonárgaon

اقلیم معظم اباد

century is recorded to have said that "he entered the mouth of the river Ganges, and, sailing up it, at the end of fifteen days he came to a large and wealthy city called Cernove ... On both banks of the stream there are most charming villas and plantations and gardens. Having departed hence, he sailed up the river Ganges for the space of three months, leaving behind him four very famous cities, and landed at an extremely powerful city called Maarazia. ..... having spent thirteen days on an expedition to some mountains to the eastward, in search of carbuncles'. . he, returned to the city of Cernove, and thence proceeded to Buffetania."-The travels of Nicoló Conti, Hakluyt Society, London, pp. 10, 11.

6

See also Purchas, vol. v. p. 508; and Murray's Travels in Asia, ii. 11.

66

There are also many interesting details regarding the geography of Bengal, and a very full and lucid summary of the history of the period, to be found in "Da Asia de João de Barros" (Lisbon, 1777, vol. iv. [viii.], p. 465 et seq.). At the period of the treaty of Alfonso de Mello with, "El Rey Mamud de Bengala" (the king whom Shir Sháh eventually overcame) the name of Shahr Nau had merged into the old provincial designation of Gaur, which is described as a principal Cidade deste Reino he chamada Gouro, situada nas correntes do Gange, e dizem ter de comprido tres leguas, das nossas, e duzentos mil vizinhos," (p. 458). Satigam makes a prominent figure on the map, and Sornagam is located on a large island within the Delta, the main stream dividing it from Daca, which is placed on the opposite or left bank of the estuary.

More modern accounts of the old city may be found in Purchas, i. 579; Churchill, viii. 54; also Rennell, Memoir of a Map of Hindoostan, London, 1788, p. 55; Stewart, p. 44, and in a special work entitled "The Ruins of Gour," illustrated with maps, plans, and engravings of the numerous Muhammadan edifices extant in 1817, by H. Creighton, 4to., London, Black, Parbury and Allen. See also Elliot's Glossary of Indian Terms, sub voce, Gour Brahmin.

The adjective (derived from, Coluit) will admit of other meanings, and if understood as applying to a town, might signify "well built," locally Pakka.

from the marginal records of the general currency, the new metropolis appropriates to itself the immemorial J

(No. 32 A.)

of Eastern Bengal

With a view to keep these brief geographical notices under one heading, I advert for the moment to No. 7, Ghiaspur, of which locality I have been able to discover no trace; and likewise anticipate the due order of the examination of Aazem Shah's mint cities in referring to the sole remaining name of Jannatábád, an epithet which is erroneously stated to have been given by Humáyún to the re-edified Lakhnauti,* but which is here seen to have been in use a century and a half before the Moghuls made their way into Bengal.

The single item remaining to be mentioned in regard to Aāzam's mints is the substitution of the word in lieu of salt as the prefix

to Fírúzábád (No. 35), in parallel progress towards centralization with the Mint phraseology adopted in the case of Satgaon.

Sikandar Shah bin Ilias Shah.

No. 17.

Fírúzábád, A. H. 750, 751, 752, 753, 754, 758, 759, 760.

Type No. 1. Ordinary simple obverse, with reverse circular are a and margin.

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ضرب هذ الفضة السكة في البلده فيروز آباد سنه ثلاث وخمسين وسبعماية

جنة البلاد

دوزخ بور

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* Ayín-i-Akbari, ii. p. 11; Stewart's Bengal, 124. Bengal itself was called "The Paradise of Regions." Ibn Batutah, iv. p. 210, says the Persians called Bengal & ce qui signifie," en arabe, un enfer rempli de biens." Marsden, Num. Orient. p. 578, gives a coin of 'Alá-ud-din Husain Shah, of A. H. 917, purporting to have been struck at " Jannatabad.” tal "regio;" also "oppidum." The plurals are said to vary, in correspond. ence with the independent meanings, ass

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No. 18.

Sonárgaon, A. H. 756, 757, 759, 760, 763.

Type No. 2. The usual lettered obverse with circular area and

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Muâzamábád, a. H. 760, 761, 763, 764. Plate II. fig. 12. Variety A.

Margin,

ضرب هذه السكة اقليم معظم اباد سنه احدي وستين وسبعماية

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Fírúzábád, A.H. 765, 766, 770, 771, 772, 773, 776, 779, 780.

Type No. 4. Coarse coins, badly formed letters. Obverse, simple lettered surface. Reverse, circular area.

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Silver. Size, vii. Weight, 166 grs. Very rare.

Type No. 5. Similar design to type 1.

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Plate II. fig. 11.

REV.

الناصر

الدین الله

القاهر

لاعدا الله

ضرب هذ الفضة السكة في البلده فيروز اباد سنه تسع وستين و . .

No. 24.

Satgaon, A.H. 780, 781, 782, 783, 784, 788. Plate II. fig. 13. Type No. 6. Obverse, a quadrated scalloped shield, with open bosses on the margin containing the names of the "four friends," the intermediate spaces being filled in partially with the king's titles.

Reverse, hexagonal star-shaped lozenge, with exterior marginal legend.*

*The pattern legend of this mint-die seems to have been taken from oral

اعدا الله instead of the more critical القاهر لاعد الله data, as it is engraved as -The increased facilities of intercourse by sea probably aided "thecol القاه الله

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loquial knowledge of Arabic in the estuaries of Bengal; while the learned of Dehli had to rely more upon books and occasional teachers. Ibn Batutah tells us, that Muhammad bin Tughlak, though pretending to speak Arabic, did not distinguish himself in the act, while Hájí Ilíás must himself have performed the pilgrimage to Mecca.

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ابوبكر عمر عثمان علي الامام العالم العادل ابو المجاهد .

Obverse Margin,

Reverse Margin,

ضرب هذه السكة المباركة في عرصة ستكانو سنه احد وثمانين وسبعماية

No. 25.

Shahr Nau, A. H. 781, 782, 783, 781, 785, 786

Plate II. fig. 14. Type No. 7. Obverse, a simple octagon, with four circlets in the margin containing the names of the four friends of the Prophet, the rest of the exergue being filled in with the king's own titles.

Reverse, a diamond-shaped area with the crossed lines prolonged to the edge of the piece; the lines are slightly scalloped outwards to form an ornamental field.

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Reverse Margin,

ضرب هذه السكه المباركة في عرصه شهر نو سنه اثني وثمانين وسبعماية

The name of the mint is imperfectly expressed on even the best specimens, and great latitude has been permitted in the omission or insertion of entire words in the reverse marginal legend.

Variety A. differs merely in the pattern of the reverse area, which is ornamented with double instead of single scallops.

No. 26.

Fírúzábád, A. 11. 780, 781, 782, 783, 784, 785, 786, 787, 788, 789, 790, 791, 792.

Type No. 8. Obverse, circular area, with a board margin divided

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