Abstract:

The Zengis are an Atabeg State that centred in Aleppo and Mosul and ruled alJazeera, Eastern Anatolia and Syria. The fact that they were founded in Mosul caused them to be called by this name. Founder İmadeddin Zengî's father, Aksungur, served the Great Seljuk Empire during the reign of Sultan Alp Arslan and was decided by Sultan Melikşah to be the governor of Aleppo. Following the death of his father Aksungur, İmâdeddin Zengî was taken to Mosul and he gained experience by being part of many wars at a young age. After the foundations were laid by İmâdeddin Zengî, the foundation of Zengî Atabegs was completed by Mosul Atabeg Seyfeddin Gâzi I and the Zengis then went on to become an important part of history. Nâsıreddin Mahmud, the last Atabeg of the Mosul branch of Zengis, become Atabeg after the death of his brother Nureddin Arslanşah II. There are not many samples of gold dinars from the Nâsıreddin Mahmud era in our museums and the number of related studies is also very limited. Therefore, the significance of our study has been further increased. During our study, all the Zengî Atabeg coins found at the Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum’s Islamic coin collection have been examined and 11 gold coins from the Mosul Atabeg Nâsıreddin Mahmud era have been found. After translating the inscriptions found on them, the gold coins have been measured for weight and dimensions (diameter). In line with the coin tradition of the time, Nâsıreddin Mahmud era gold coins have been designed without figures and they include verses of Qur’an. Musul Atabeg Nâsıreddin Mahmud coins include the title of Atabeg as well as the names and titles of the Abbasid caliphs and the names of the ruling Ayyubid Sultans.

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