IRAN COIN AND ENAMEL SPOONS

Iran (land of the Aryans)  is a large 630,000  square mile mountainous country which is  about two and a third times as big as Texas. Strategically located between Europe, the Middle East and Asia it is bordered by 10 different countries as well as the important Persian Gulf.

The area was one of the first civilizations created by man and traces its roots before the Elamite kingdom in 2800 BC. As a crossroads country it has a long history of being involved in trading with the surrounding countries and invading and being invaded. by numerous armies and nomadic people.

The country is 95% Moslem (the other 5% is a mix of different religions) and the official and most commonly used language is Persian although other languages are also spoken.

iran coin bowl spoons mosque

These spoons were all hand made in Isfahan (the old capitol of Persia--1600's)

thus while they are very similar in style, they show differences because of the hand workmanship

iran spoons blue mosque

Shah Abbas the Great is credited with building the famous Blue Domed Mosque (Masjid-i-shah) in the center of Isfahan. 

Standing at the south side of Naghsh-i Jahan Square, this Safavid period (ca 1611)  Mosque is considered to be an 

excellent example of  Islamic architecture and is a UNESCO world heritage site.

iran coin spooniran coin spoon

"The Lion and Sun, or Shir-o-khorshid, is one of the better-known emblems of Iran, and between 1423 and 1979 was an element in Iran's national flag. The motif, which combines ancient Iranian, Arab, Turkish, Mongol and Jewish traditions, became a popular symbol in Iran in the 12th century. " wikipedia

This is the larger coin (on the left)
This appears to be a 1 Rial silver coin dated 1311 (1932)

These coins were made during the Rezā Shāh Pahlavi  time period

iran coin bowl spooniran coin bowl spoon

This is a 1/2 rial silver coin 

The dates on the four coins differ but are in the 1930 time period

iran coin spoon

This spoon features an enamel finial with the Iranian lion and a coin bowl with the same lion design

I can't read the other writing

Return to coin spoon index

Return to Exhibits index