Coins minted in Azerbaijan are among the important finds for the study of medieval history and monetary economy. Thanks to numismatic finds from the Hulaguid (Ilkhanid) period, it is possible to gather information about the Bazar city-mint, whose name survives only on coins.

In Azerbaijan there are numerous names of mountains, rivers, valleys, and localities containing the word "bazar" — Adnabazar, Seyidbazar, Astrakhanbazar, Bazarchay, Bazardüzü, Bazaryurd, and others.

A number of studies have confirmed the existence of settlements called Bazar in the Khachin district of Upper Karabakh, as well as in the Gubadli, Zangilan, Kalbajar, Sabirabad, Devechi, and Zagatala districts. For this reason, it is not possible to state with certainty the exact location of this mint.

The Numismatics Fund of the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan holds a double silver dirham minted at the Bazar mint during the reign of the Ilkhanid ruler Suleiman (Hijri 739–746 = 1338–1345). Most of the inscriptions on the dirham are in Arabic script, with only the ruler's name inscribed in Uyghur script.

The obverse of the dirham bears three lines at its center. The first line, in Arabic script, reads "Sultan"; the second line, in Uyghur script, reads "Suleiman"; the third line, in Arabic script, reads "May God perpetuate his rule." Around these inscriptions, the year of minting according to the Hijri calendar and the name of the mint can be read: "Minted in Bazar in the year seven hundred and forty-one."

On the reverse of the dirham is inscribed "There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God," surrounded by the names of the four Islamic caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali) (Photo 1).

During Suleiman's reign, gold ashrafis (4.4–8 g), copper fulus (1–2 g), and the principal coins of the era — silver dirhams of varying weight (0.7–5.4 g) — were minted at the Baylaqan, Barda, Nakhchivan, Yerevan, Tabriz, Ardabil, and other mints. It is precisely on the basis of the inscriptions on such coins that this ruler is known to have held the title of "sultan."

According to numismatic research, the Bazar mint began operating at the end of the 13th century and continued to function during the reign of the Ilkhanid ruler Anushirvan (Hijri 745–757 = 1344–1356).

Bazar silver dirhams have been discovered in Nakhchivan, Shamakhi, Baku, and Baylaqan.

Photo 1. NF 6831. Double silver dirham. Ilkhanids. Suleiman (Hijri 739–746 = 1338–1345), Bazar, Hijri 741 = 1340–1341, 1.6 g.