Speaker
Description
A unique manuscript kept in the Matenadaran in Yerevan shows that towards the end of the rule of the Qara Qoyunlu Jahan Shah (1438-1467), in 1465 the Armenian nobility declared Smbat from the Artsrunid house of Sefedinian the king of Armenia. His power, which apparently lasted only two years, extended to Akdamar Island, Van and Vostan cities. The two cities represented a single unified fief which since 14th century had belonged to Hakkari Kurds.
Recently a small group of undated silver tankas minted in the name of Jahan Shah turned up on the coin market. One of these coins, different in terms of its overall design bears the name of the Wān (Van)-Wasṭān (Vostan) mint on both sides. The crude style of this coin might identify it as an imitation of a Qara Qoyunlu coin, but upon closer examination, this specimen could have been struck by authorities representing Smbat Sefedinian-Artsruni.
