Experiential Teaching in Numismatics - CENNUMIS Style

Necessity is the Mother of all invention. I experienced the truth in this adage when I was forced to launch a new institution in the aftermath of losing a prestigious university position in June 2014 in view of no new jobs on the horizon in the rarefied field of Numismatics! 

Today, CENNUMIS is a two-and-a- half-year old institution which though doesn't have its own premises, is always on the move and open to new experiences in conducting courses on Indian Numismatics.

I have been particularly blessed to have an experience of a better part of the last decade in teaching Numismatics with lectures, specialised sessions, etc. in various parts of the country on various fora. 

However, CENNUMIS has been a special forum as we decided to give it a distinct USP of having an actual collection of 'teaching coin specimens' for all its courses with the idea of imparting an authentic experience for the audience. 

The only problem was that I did not possess any coins to begin with as I  was a numismatic researcher and not a collector. However, we worked around the problem by purchasing actual coins from coin dealers in the beginning, then coin auctions always trying to procure the best specimen from the viewpoint of the student. 

Beginning our journey in August 2014, we had our first course called 'Primer Workshop in Numismatics' at a well-wisher's office in Central Mumbai. 

The success of the Workshop (it was full to my surprise!) gave me the confidence to invest more into coins and soon organize a specialized Workshop on the Arabic-Persian Script as seen on Indian Coins in January-February 2015. It was not my first experience at teaching the script but I improvised on my earlier experience by teaching it from the viewpoint of a collector who wanted to decipher a Mughal coin for his own sake. Thus, we did away with the formal teaching by an Arabic teacher and taught each letter as it appeared on Indian coins from Day One. 

Needless to say, the Workshop had its own challenges as it was to teach others the difficult script. We took 4-5 sessions of 4 hours each (a week apart) to give the participants time to practice the script and its variant forms.

The results were amazing as most of the participants who diligently practiced the script learnt it quite well. We also encouraged the participants to make eye copies of important coins during surprise tests conducted during the Workshop. This boosted many a participant's confidence as it led them to know that the script was not as alien and out-of-reach as they had imagined. Thus, CENNUMIS has conducted 3 Arabic-Persian Script Workshops and 4 Primer Workshops and numerous 'Introduction to Numismatics' Workshops all over the country. During our courses, we also take students and participants to actual coin galleries (especially in Mumbai and New Delhi where the RBI Museum and the National Museum have fantastic Numismatic Galleries.

CENNUMIS Coin Collection has burgeoned to numerous coin albums of high quality teaching coins which are taken for lectures on Arabic-Persian, Brahmi, Kharoshti and Greek Script on Indian Coins. Even our simple Introduction to Numismatics have around 20 odd coins from different periods of Indian History to make the participants aware of India's unbroken 2500 year plus numismatic history. We also carry a tool kit to make students aware of the various equipment necessary to examine and record coins as research data viz. digital weighing scale (under 200 grams), vernier calipers, magnifying glass, etc.

The most satisfying part of the CENNUMIS' experience is watching students enthusiastically examine a Gandhara Punch-marked coin or hold a 20 gram plus Mughal paisa with great awe. Watching these students, I feel that my investment on these coins has been paid back to me many times over!

CENNUMIS is a dynamic and active organization which is ready to travel to any part of the country especially if our modest financial conditions are met with equal enthusiasm at the other end. To contact us, write to us on drkalra1@gmail.com

A Group of Mumbai Undergraduate Students visiting RBI Museum with the author

Participants at our 1st Arabic-Persian Script Workshop in Mumbai in January 2015 examining a coin specimen

The right way of holding a coin being taught to participants at a workshop

Coins and other artefacts for a CENNUMIS 'Introduction to Numismatics' Workshop

Eye Copies of Mughal Coins drawn by a participant at CENNUMIS' 2nd Arabic-Persian Script Workshop

Morocco’s M.A.D. Dirham issued in 1974 by King Hassan II

Morocco is a land with a unique history with episodes of clashes between the Western and Arabic civilisations due to its strategic location at the farthest tip of North Africa bordering with Spain and other Mediterranean countries. In the medieval period, Morocco was a part of a geo-political entity known to the Arabs as ‘Maghreb’ literally the 'Land of the setting Sun' or the Western Land including other North African countries like Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania and parts of the Western Sahara desert. Medieval geographers referred to Morocco as 'Al-Maghrib al Aqşá' 'The Farthest West', to distinguish it from it immediate neighbours in the West.

In modern times, the Moroccan government invoked this historical identity by adopting the official name ‘al-Mamlaka al Maghrebiyya’ on all its communications including its coinage.
Morocco has been ruled by the Alaouite dynasty which has ruled its territories since 1666; however, the Alaouite ruler, Sultan Abdel Hafid was forced to give up Morocco's sovereignty in 1912 turning it into a French protectorate under the Treaty of Fez.

The next rulers ruled nominally under French tutelage till Morocco regained her independence in 1956 and became a constitutional monarchy under the leadership of King Mohammad V. He was succeeded by his son, Prince Mulay Hassan who took over as King Hassan II in 1961 and ruled till his death in 1999.
I came across a coin with the legend ‘al-Mamlakatahu al-Maghrebiyya’ with the bust of a leader identified as Hassan II by the legend ‘Hassan al-Thani*' on the obverse. The coin is distinguished by a true-to-life portrait of Hassan II with a grim expression.
The reverse features Morocco's coat-of-arms with the image of two lions upholding a crown and a shield with a star against the setting sun with the crest of the symbol enshrining a Quranic verse ‘An Tansar wa Allah Yansar Kam’ meaning ‘You defend Allah and Allah will defend you’**. The reverse states the denomination as ‘Wahid Dirham’ with the Roman numeral ‘1’ denoting its value as 1 Dirham; the Moroccan dirham’s international acronym lends it a strange connotation, M.A.D. The reverse of this coin has two dates in Roman numerals flanking the coat-of-arms; its date in the Common Era, 1974 and its date in Hijri era, 1394.
Thus, this coin represents Morocco’s unique attempt to straddle between its modern and medieval identity as Morocco’s twin port cities of Casablanca and Tangier which attract hordes of Western tourists to its exotic beaches each summer, contribute to its bustling tourist economy in a major way.

*Thani means Second in Arabic

**This verse is seen on the actual coat-of-arms but is unclear on the coin’s image

A Tunisian Dinar Coin with the image of a beautiful farmer maid to promote the country's progressive image

Coins have always served a more important purpose for ruling elite the world over. A coin is the best propaganda tool since time immemorial. Another fanciful coin in my coin collection which set my imagination soaring was a silverish looking coin with the image of a beautiful farmer lady with Arabic inscriptions in my collection.

I was sure it was the coin of an Arabic country poised to break free from its medieval past and adopt a modernist agenda.

Reading the obverse legend (see below) gives the ruler's name in the upper line as 'al-Habib al Burqiba' with the lower line stating 'Rais al-Jamhooriyat al Tunisiyya' meaning 'President of the Republic of Tunisia' making it obvious that the coin hails from modern Tunisia, a tiny country in the northern most part of Africa. The ruler mentioned was Habib al Burgiba, a person who presided over the country's future right since its independence from France in the 1940s till he was forced to abdicate in favour of his Prime Minister.

The coin further shows a semi-modern approach by use of modern dating -'1976' instead of the Islamic calendar in Hijri era. The woman is shown harvesting crops in her field with a modern tractor in the background completing the image of a progressive nation breaking free from its past shackles.

It shows it takes a woman to make vital changes in the economy of both her home and her nation; driving home a modern message now acknowledged world over.

The legend above the lady states 'al-Bank al-Markazi al-Tunisiyya' meaning 'Central Bank of Tunisia' and the lower line shows its denomination as 'Dinar Wahid' meaning 'One Dinar' with the Roman numeral '1' in the centre.

Tunisia is a relatively peaceful country despite its authoritarian regime; its populace is like modern Turkey free from radical agenda which makes it acceptable to the West which supports its economy by importing Tunisian goods in a good measure. Modern Tunisia claims to be one of the most surging economies in the African sub-continent. Thus, a country's coins are valuable indicators of the 'state of mind' of its rulers, their aims and goals that they wish to project to both domestic and international audiences.

An assassinated Saudi King’s numismatic legacy retraced from a small denomination coin

Delving further into my pot of old collected coins; I came across another unique Islamic coin which I did not know from a scratch. However, I could however soon make out the King’s name written in Arabic on the obverse side above the heraldic symbol of the kingdom; aided by a date in presumably the Hijri era on the reverse to help me ascribe it to a specific country. The name inscribed on the coin is ‘Faisal-bin-Abd’ Al- Aziz Al Saud’ (left image) in the upper line in a continuous Arabic legend from right to left (see image) hinted that it was a coin from Saudi Arabia. The lower line read as ‘Mallik Al Mulk Al Arabia Al Saudia’ roughly translated as ‘King of the country of Saudi Arabia’ confirmed my initial impression.

Searching the internet for information, I discovered that King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz was born in 1904 in Riyadh and was the third son of the founder of the modern kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, popularly known by his patronymic name Ibn Saud.
Although Faisal ruled Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 1975, he was initially installed as the Crown Prince and later was the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia on two occasions under the kingship of his elder brother, Saud bin Abdul Aziz since 1953. However, after a prolonged struggle with Saud, he took over the reins of the kingdom in 1964 to pursue a semi-modernist path till his death on March 25 1975 at the hands of his half-brother's son, Faisal bin Musa'id in a public gathering. Faisal was succeeded by his half-brother, Khalid.
As a part of his pan-Islamic ideology which largely guided his foreign policy, Faisal developed a close alliance with Sunni Pakistan. He was very close to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan. Many places in Pakistan were posthumously named in Faisal’s honour; Lyallpur city in Punjab Province was renamed as Faisalabad in 1979; the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad is also named after him; the main highway in Karachi was renamed ‘Shahrah-e-Faisal’ ‘The Royal Road of Faisal’, etc.
In fact, this coin owes its existence to this Saudi-Pakistani collaboration as it is said to have been minted at the Lahore Mint in Pakistan for the Saudi Government in large numbers in a singular date of 1392 A.H.

The reverse legend (right image) tells another tale which required some ingenious net searching on my part. The date on the reverse is 1392 A.H. which translates into 1972 A.D. The other legend in the circle at the centre reads as ‘Qirsh A’nain’ However, in my net searches I found that in Saudi Arabia this unit, Qirsh is pronounced as ‘Ghirsh’ in Saudi Arabia despite the use of the letter ‘Qaaf’; searching the names of Arabic numerals, I discovered Ath- nain is Arabic for ‘Two’ and hence the denomination was ‘Two Ghirsh’. The English and Arabic numerals flanking the circle suggest another denomination of ‘10’ which was intriguing. The Arabic word for ‘Ten’ is ‘Ash-Ra’ which is inscribed on the first part of the upper legend and the next word is ‘Halalat’ which I assumed is the name of the unit.

I searched the internet especially Wikipedia and found the following information about the Saudi Arabian currency system.
The Official currency of Saudi Arabia is the Saudi Riyal which is officially divided into two subunits 20 Ghirsh and 100 Halalas; making 1 Ghirsh equal to 5 Halalas. The Halala system was introduced only in 1963 (probably when Faisal was the Prime Minister for the second time) prior to which the Ghirsh was the only sub-division.
In 1972 under Faisal, cupro-nickel coins of 5, 10, 25 and 50 Halalas were introduced. Since then, the use of the term Ghirsh has slowly been abandoned as the Halala system of sub-division is more popular.

Thus, King Faisal was a pioneer in the field of Saudi currency as his leadership gave birth to a new numismatic sub-division which slowly replaced the old system in the next few decades.
Once again, a single coin opened a cornucopia of information for me based upon its Islamic method of systematic information dissemination through right deduction.