TEHRAN – Iranian police have recently discovered 20 Timurid coins from an illegal antique dealer in Maneh-Samalqan.

The coins, which are made of silver date back to the Timurid era (1370–1507), were sieved while the police inspected the house of a suspect for illegally keeping and dealing antiquities, ILNA quoted a local police commander as saying on Sunday.

The culprit was traced in Maneh-Samalqan county of North Khorasan province based on public reports and handed over to the judicial system for further investigation, the official added.

The Timurid dynasty, self-designated as Gurkani, was a Sunni Muslim dynasty or clan of Turco-Mongol origin descended from the warlord Timur (also known as Tamerlane).

In the realm of architecture, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Timurids drew on and developed many Seljuq traditions. Turquoise and blue tiles forming intricate linear and geometric patterns decorated the facades of buildings. Sometimes the interior was decorated similarly, with painting and stucco relief further enriching the effect.

Maneh-Samalqan is home to Tepe Rivi, which has so far yielded magnificent remains of the Bronze Age up to the Sassanid period.

AFM