Nezak

Nezak Huns ruler, circa 460-560 CE.

The Nezak Huns established their realm in 484, after the defeat and death of the Sasanian King of Kings (shahanshah) Peroz I (r. 459–484) against the Hephthalites. The weakening of Sasanian authority in the east had for consequence that the Nezak Huns managed to take control of Zabulistan and started to mint their own coins.[10] According to Chinese sources, the founder of the dynasty was named "Khingal", who may or may not have been identical with the Khingila (430-495 CE) of the Alchon Huns, thereby pointing to a possible connection between the two groups.[4] The "Khingal dynasty" of the Nezal Huns ruled for twelve generations.[4]

The Nezaks started to mint their own coins on the Sasanian imperial coins, while also adopting aspects from the neighbouring Alkhan coins. They introduced the Pahlavi legend (𐭭𐭩𐭰𐭪𐭩𐭬𐭫𐭪 nycky MLK) "King of the Nezak" on their coinage (this legend was formerly misread as "Napki Malka").[1] They portrayed themselves with the winged crown of Peroz, on top of which they added their characteristic bull's head.[10] This remarkable bull's head was also mentioned in Chinese sources as an attribute of the so-called Nisai (phonetic for "Nezak") king of Kabul at that time.[11] The very adoption of the third crown of Peroz on their coinage indicates that they started to mint coins after 474 CE only.[10] The coin legend "nycky MLK" is either completed by an "ā" (Pahavi: 𐭠) or a "š" (Pahavi: 𐭮), which has led to suggestions that they might correspond to the mints of Ghazni and Kabul respectively, but this remains uncertain.[12]

Details of Nezak Hun headdress, topped with a bull's head.

From that point, the Nezaks consolidated their power in Zabulistan and in the 6th century expanded into Kabulistan, deposing the Alchon Huns from Kapisa.

Nezak coins with the bull's crown appear well into the 8th century, the design of their coinage continuing more or less unchanged for a period of about 150 years.[13][4] Coins however became more and more debased, as silver decreased in favour of alloys incorporating more and more copper.[4]

Early coins of the Nezak Huns have been discovered in the Buddhist monastery of Tepe Narenj.[14][15]

Around the middle of the 6th century CE, the Alchons, after having extensively invaded the heartland of India, had withdrawn from Kashmir, Punjab and Gandhara, and going back west across the Khyber pass they resettled in Kabulistan. It seems that there was a direct confrontation between the Alchon Toramana II and the Nezaks in Kabulistan, as he made overstrikes of Nezak coins, and at the same time adopted the Nezak bull's head in his own crown in some of his coins minted in Gandhara.[16]

Coinage of the Alchon Hun ruler Toramana II in Nezak style, in Kabulistan.

The Nezaks also stopped minting coins in Ghazni around 560 CE.[4] This event may be linked to the resurgence of the Sasanian Empire under Khosrow I, as they allied to the Western Turks to defeat the Hepthalites and took control of Bactria.[16] The Sasanians may have taken control of Zabulistan on the same occasion, as suggested by the creation of Sasanian coin mints in the area of Kandahar during the reign of Ohrmazd IV (578-590 CE).[16]

"Alchon-Nezak Crossover" coinage, 600–680. Nezak-style bust on the obverse, and Alchon tamga within double border on the reverse.[17] The "double border" is a new design introduced by the Sasanians in 592/593 CE, therefore the coin is posterior to this date.[17]

Another crossover Alchon-Nezak coin with pseudo-Pahlavi legend "nycky MLK".[18]

Having lost Ghazni and Kabul, the Nezak dynasty declined rapidly as indicated by the progressive elimination of Nezak symbols from the historical coin record. Their coinage suggests that they merged with the Alchon Huns, as "Alchon-Nezak Crossover" coins started to be minted. The new coins combined Nezak designs but abandonned the bull's head crown, which was replaced by a crown with three crescents enclosing a flower or a trident of the type worn by Toramana II on his coins.[17] Some coins also incoporate the Alchon tamgha symbol.[19][20] Later "Crossover" coins use a crown with a single crescent moon, with the king holding a flower in his hand.[17] The coin legends vaguely attempt to copy the original Pahlavi legend of Nezak coins, but becomes only decorative.[17][18] The double border adopted by some of these coins is a Sasanian innovation, which dates to 592/593 CE, and helps confirm Nezak dates.[17]

A confederacy probably emerged between the Nezaks and the Alchons, possibly against Turkic invaders.[21] They were able to take back Zabulistan from the Sasanians at the end of the 6th century CE.[17]

The last local king of Kapisi was the Nezak ruler known in the Chinese annals of 658 CE as "Hexiezhi" (Chinese: 曷撷支, reconstructed from Old Chinese: *γarγär-tśiě < *ghar-ilči), reconstructed as the Turkic "Ghar-ilchi" (*Qarγïlacï, 653-c.665 CE), 12th king of his dynasty from the founder "Xinnie" (馨孽, reconstructed from Old Chinese: *xäŋ-ŋär < *henger < Khingar/Khingal):[22][23][24]

In the third year of the Xianqing reign [658 CE], when [Tang envoys] investigated the customs of this state, people said: "From Xinnie, the founder of the royal house, up to the present [King] Hexiezi, the throne has been passed from father to son, [and by now] there have been twelve generations. In the same year, the city was established as Xiuxian Area Command

— Old Book of Tang, 198.[25][26]

Ghar-ilchi had been formally installed as king of Jibin (罽宾国, former Kapisi/ Kabulistan) by the Chinese Tang Dynasty emperor in 653 CE, and was again confirmed as Governor of Jibin under the newly formed Chinese Anxi Protectorate, the "Protectorate of the Western Regions", in 661 CE.[25][27][28] Ghar-ilchi may have been the last member of a local "Khingal dynasty" possibly founded by Khingila.[28]

Early coin of Turk Shahi ruler Tegin Shah, in the style of the Nezak Huns, whom he displaced. On the obverse, new legend in the Bactrian script: "Srio Shaho" ("Lord King") with tamgha. Late 7th century CE.[17]

Eventually, the Nezak-Alchons were replaced by the Turk shahi dynasty,[21] first in Zabulistan and then in Kabulistan. The first known Turk Shahi ruler of Kapisi, named Barha Tegin, may have been initially a vassal in the service of Ghar-ilchi, but then revolted and usurped the throne.[28] He took control of the areas of Zabulistan, Kabulistan and Gandhara, and his name was recorded by the Arab historian Al-Biruni.[29] With the rise of the Turk Shahi, the coinage of the region started to incoporate a new legend, using the Indian honorific "Shri" ("Perfection") with the royal title "Shahi" in the Bactrian language (σριο Þανιο, Srio šauoi) and in Sanskrit (Śri Sāhi).[17]

The bull's head crown of the Nezaks remained popular in the coinage of the region well into the 8th century CE.[4] An 8th century ruler of Western Tokharistan was named Nezak Tarkan, and he played an important role in leading a revolt against the Arab commander Qutayba ibn Muslim circa 709/710 CE.[4] However, he may have been unrelated to the Nezak Huns, as his area of operation was quite remote from the original Nezak realm.[1]