rebels

Part 2 - Copper Coins of the Rebels Rashidin and Yakub Beg

Type R1 - Rashidin Kucha 1281

Arabic Legend, Obv	Arabic Legend, Rev	Du Rarity	Zhu Rarity	D&J Rarity	Approx. Dates	Dai #	Zhu #	D&J #
Sayyid Ghazi Rashidin Khan	Dhurb Dar-As-Sultanat Kucha 1281	7	7-	**	1864- 1865	D32 (1-5)	636- 638	262- 263

D32 - 5 (rarity 5). Small letter variety. The
date is visible at 6 to 8 o'clock on the reverse.
Die axis: "coin turn." (the photo is inverted)
3.7 grams.

D32 - 25 (rarity 8). Large letter variety. Die
axis: "coin turn" (180 degrees). 3.8 grams.

Type R2 - Rashidin Kucha No Date

Arabic Legend, Obv	Arabic Legend, Rev	Du Rarity	Zhu Rarity	D&J Rarity	Approx. Dates	Du #	Zhu #	D&J #
Sayid Ghazi Rahidin Khan	Dhurb Dar-As-Sultanat Kucha	8	6-		1864- 1867	D32 (8-17)	639- 640	262- 263

D32. 4.4 grams. Die axis: "medal turn."

Type R3 - Rashidin Aqsu No Date

Arabic Legend, Obv	Arabic Legend, Rev	Du Rarity	Zhu Rarity	D&J Rarity	Approx. Dates	Du #	Zhu #	D&J #
Sayid Ghazi Rahidin Khan	Dhurb Dar-As-Sultanat Aqsu	6	Not Listed	**	1864-1867	D33 (1-4)	Not Listed	264

D33. The word "Aqsu" is visible at 4-3 o'clock on the reverse. Die axis: medal turn. 3.8 grams.

Type R4 - Yakub Beg Copper "Pul"

Arabic Legend, Obv	Arabic Legend, Rev	Du Rarity	Zhu Rarity	D&J Rarity	Approx. Dates	Du #	Zhu #	D&J #
Khan Abd-Al-Aziz	Dhurb Kashghar	Not Listed	Not Listed	***	1874-1877	Not Listed	Not Listed	268

D&J 268. Dated 1293. Collection of Mr.
Miao Yong Hui

This is a rare, unpublished larger variety. The
date appears to be 1291. Collection of Mr.
Miao Yong Hui.

D&J 268. Undated. 4.1 grams

The Catalogue is Continued at:

Although all varieties of the Rashidin coinage are uncommon among red cash, the Kucha undated type is the
most frequently encountered.

REFERENCE CATALOGUE OF
XINJIANG RED CASH

Rashidin conquered Aqsu in July of 1864, and sometime thereafter coins were issued with the same legends
but "Aqsu" in the place of "Kucha." The scarcity of the Aqsu-made coins suggests that the mint there was
not in operation very long. The lettering on this type is generally cruder than that of the Kucha types. The
number two that is seen above "Sayeed" on the Kucha coins is just after the word "Aqsu" on the Aqsu coins.

In order to aid one faction in the disputes between rival rebel leaders in Kashgar, the Khan of Kokand sent a
Sufi Khoja with an army under the leadership of an officer named Yakub Beg in 1865. The following year,
Yakub Beg wrested control from the Khoja he was supposed to be serving, and over several years conquered
all of Xinjiang. He ruled the region in the name of the Ottoman Sultan, Abd Al-Aziz (with the Sultan's
lukewarm blessing), so his coins bear that name on the obverse. The reverse of the copper coins translates
"struck [at] Kashgar." Most of the copper coins seem to be dated, and I have seen examples from each of
the dates that appear on the similar silver coinage (1874-1877). An example of the silver coinage is
presented in the appendix. All of Yakub Beg's coins were struck rather than cast, following closely the
coinage styles of the Khanates of Khokand and Bukhara. See the appendix for a coin of Bukhara. The
copper coins are rare and widely counterfeited.

In 1864 a wave of Muslim rebellions swept across Xinjiang, and when the people of
Kucha asked a local holy man, soon to be called "Rashidin," to be their leader, he
wisely accepted (the crowd's first choice had declined, and was promptly executed)
(Kim p 40). Rashidin assembled an army and a government, and set about
consolidating control of Southern Xinjiang. He was eventually defeated by the Uzbek
military officer Yakub Beg in 1867. Before the fall of his government, Rashidin cast
coins similar in form to the Qing red cash at both Kucha and Aqsu. The legends are
more Arabic than Turki, as is clear from the typical Arabic grammatical form in
"Dar-As-Sultanat," and the verb "Dhurb." The word "Ghazi," meaning champion or
warlord in modern Arabic (Wehr p. 673), carried the implication of holy warrior in
19th century Xinjiang. The entire legend translates as "Descendant of the Prophet,
Holy Warrior Rashidin Khan"/"Struck [at] the seat of power, Kucha." All of the
Kucha coins have what appears to be the number "2" above the word "Sayeed"
(Descendent of the Prophet). This type (R1) has the date "1281" above the word
"As-Sultanat." 1281 in the Islamic calender converts to June 1864 - May 1865.
(See the appendix for a possible 1283 type.) This type was produced in large and
small letter varieties.
click here for a note on the reading of the legend
click here for a note on die axes

Part 3 - Coins Cast After the Qing Reconquest of Xinjiang