Samanid period coins found in Taraz

A unique find! Silver coins from the mid-10th century were discovered in the Zhambyl region near the village of Kyzyl Zhuldyz. Scientists say that Arabic inscriptions and signs on them belong to the Samanid period. Interestingly, the artifact was discovered by accident by a Taraz resident Rafael Iskanderov. He handed over antique coins, weighing about half a kilo, to the Museum-Reserve ‘Monuments of Ancient Taraz.’ It is in this area that a valuable rarity was first found, and now experts will begin studying the place where the treasure was discovered.

“I noticed something shiny. And I picked it up and it turned out to be these pieces of coins. I became curious, so I started collecting them up. It wasn’t much. I brought them home and washed them. After cleaning them, I saw the Arabic inscriptions. Of course, I roughly knew that these were ancient silver coins. But I wondered about the details. I had to look for a metal detector from people I knew. My delight knew no bounds. It’s very interesting and exciting,” Iskanderov said.

“There are archaeologists in the staff of the museum. Next week we plan to set up a commission and visit the site. If more artifacts are found, we will conduct excavations in the future. All ancient artifacts will be handed over to the museum’s collection. The coins that the Taraz resident found are dated. They certainly have historical value. We also plan to display artifacts in the exhibition of our museum,” noted Nurlan Bykybayev, Director of the Museum-Reserve ‘Monuments of Ancient Taraz.’

Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova

Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova