CH. I]                 PAPER CURRENCY RIOTS                      37

GAYKHAtU  (A.D.   1291-1295).

ArgkUJOLw:a^_siKxeeded^h>^_his brother Gaykliatu, whose

coronation did not take place till July 22, 1291, four months

and a half after his predecessor's death.   During

Gaykhdtu          this interval, in spite of the fact that Tughdchar

(a.d 1291- and other chiefs of the Mongols had hastened to
129s)                                     ^                                        ^                  ^ _

appoint governors in the different provinces,
anarchy was rampant, and Afrasiyab, of the House of
Hazarasp, which had ruled over Luristan since the middle
of the twelfth century, broke out in an abortive revolt and
for a while held Isfahan.

Gaykhatu,  whom   the  author  of   the  Habibu's-Siyar
describes as " the most generous of the children of Hulagu,"

chose Sadru'd-Dm Ahmad Khalidi of Zanjati,

Dissolute and          t     , ,          i                               r-     7      •   r    7   r                  1  •

extravagant better known as Sadr-t-f ahan, as his prime
character of        minister.    Both the monarch and his minister

Gaykhatu                                                                                                            i             t      i-

were disposed to extravagance and prodigality,

and the former at any rate to the pleasures of the table and

other less reputable enjoyments.    Thus it soon happened

that the treasury was empty, and, money being urgently

,   .    ^ •   required, Sadr-i-Jahdn determined to introduce

Introduction of              i.              ^   •                 j

paper money the chao, OX paper money, which was current in
{chao)              the Chinese Empire.  To this end establishments

for manufacturing the chao were erected in all the principal
towns, and stringent laws were enacted to restrict the use
of the precious metals as far as possible. Full descriptions of
the projected paper money are preserved to us in the Tdrikh-
i- Wassdf^ and other histories of the period. The notes
consisted of oblong rectangular pieces of paper inscribed
with some words in Chinese, over which stood the Muham¬
madan profession of faith, "There is no god but God,
Muhammad is the Apostle of God," in Arabic. Lower down
was the scribe's or designer's name, and the value of the note
(which varied from half a dirham to ten dindrs) inscribed
in a circle.    A further inscription ran as follows: "The King

1 Pp. 272-3.