The Dar-ul Mulk Exhibition Palace, which contains sculptures reflecting the facial and physical appearances of 17 members of the dynasty, 12 of whom were sultans, determined by DNA and anatomy analysis of the remains in the dynasty tomb of the Anatolian Seljuk State, also houses coins minted by the sultans. The collection includes 2,764 coins, each one a single example, and will be open to visitors for 1 year.
Information about each coin, which is located on specially illuminated stands where the front and back sides can be easily examined, can be accessed in Turkish and English via the QR code application.
- By scanning the QR code, visitors can learn in detail where and when the coins were minted, the inscriptions, figures and their meanings, and their weight and diameter.
Dar-ul Mulk Exhibition Palace guide Hülya Acar said that the collection belongs to lawyer Bahadır Kalaycı, one of the registered collectors of the Antalya Museum. “These coins are both historical artifacts and works of art for us,” she said.
Acar stated that the coins are displayed in chronological order according to the period in which the sultans ruled, and that magnifying glasses provide the opportunity to observe the coins in more detail.
Emphasizing that the coins shed light on their period with their inscriptions, figures, the type of metal they were minted with, their shape and weight, Acar said: “The coins show us the socio-economic status of the state, where it ruled, Its borders, its trade network and where the mints were located. There is no mint that has survived to the present day, but we learn from the coins that the Seljuk State of Turkey had nearly 50 mints. These coins are both historical artifacts and works. of art for us. Because there are also coins with very beautiful figures. For example, the coins of the kings of Kılıçarslan II are especially figured. They are coins with mounted cavalrymen and figures of mounted cavalrymen hunting leopards.”
“The most valuable gold coin in the collection belongs to Izzeddin Keykavus II”
Drawing attention to the fact that the first money was minted by Mesud I 900 years ago, Acar explained that all of them were copper. Emphasizing that coins were transformed into silver and gold during the periods when the state grew and became, Acar said, “The stronger money was mostly minted from silver. Currencies such as dinar, dirham and fels produced from gold, silver and copper were used. Gold and silver started to be minted from Kılıçarslan II, but in this collection, we start to see gold coins with Alaeddin Keykubad. The most valuable gold coin here belongs to İzzeddin Keykavus II. It says ‘Dar-ül Mülk Ko’ on it. “It is important because it is one of the capital titles of Konya.”
Acar added that the locations of the mints can be seen on the map in the exhibition hall.
