Humayun (AH 950-956 /1543-1549 AD), Qandahar Mint, Silver Shahrukhi AH 950 Obv: Arabic legend The Kalima Shahada in the circular linear border the four Caliphs' names at the margin, Rev : Arabic legend "Muhammad Humayun Badshah Ghazi" within a Mehrabi cartouche frame, "Sultan-ul-azam Khaqan-al-Mukarram, "khuld Allahu ta'ala mulkahu wa sultanahu" "zarb Qandahar" off flan in the outer bottom margin, some usual area flatness, sharply struck, choice quality, graded slabbed by, Zeno# 152422, NGC as MS 62.

Humayun’s Qandahar Shahrukhi — A Coin from Years of Exile

Qandahar stood at a crossroads between India, Afghanistan and Iran. Babur secured the city in 1522, but control later passed to his son Askari Mirza, a brother and rival of Humayun. After losing his Indian empire to Sher Shah Suri in 1540, Humayun moved west in search of a base from which to recover his position.

By the end of AH 950 (1543–1544 AD), Humayun had sought refuge with Shah Tahmasp I of Iran. The Safavid ruler supplied the support that enabled him to return towards Qandahar. In 1545, Humayun’s forces besieged the city and brought it back under his control. Its recovery was a turning point: Qandahar and, subsequently, Kabul gave him the foundation from which he could eventually return to India.

A Qandahar Shahrukhi of Humayun belongs to this unsettled frontier history. Issues struck there occur at different weights, reflecting local monetary practices alongside the political changes of the period. The suggested identification of a particular light specimen with a Safavid shahi or a quarter rupee remains tentative and should be assessed against that coin’s exact weight and date. Its strongest historical connection is clear: it was struck in a city whose possession became essential to Humayun’s restoration.