Tanka of Abu'l-Qasim Babur 1449

Curator: Here we have a Tanka, a silver coin, from the reign of Abu'l-Qasim Babur. Editor: It's so small! I am drawn to how the inscriptions, though worn, still hold a strange kind of power. Curator: These coins, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection, served as both currency and powerful statements of sovereignty and faith. The inscriptions would have been carefully chosen. Editor: I can only imagine the hands this little piece of silver passed through! It is interesting to contemplate the value and the message it carried. Curator: Absolutely. The coins played a key role in establishing and maintaining Babur’s rule, legitimizing his authority through circulated imagery and text. Editor: It's amazing that something so tiny could carry such weight, both literally in trade and figuratively in power. Curator: Indeed. It's a reminder that even the smallest objects can tell grand stories of history and belief. Editor: A powerful reminder to look closely and consider the layers of meaning in even the humblest of artifacts.