Abbasi – Sheki Khanate

In 1807, the currency situation in the Sheki Khanate was one of profound instability and transition, directly tied to its collapsing political sovereignty. The khanate, like others in the Caucasus, traditionally operated on a monetary system influenced by its Persian suzerain, relying heavily on silver coins like the abbasi and shahi from the Qajar mints. However, the Russian Empire's military advance into the region, culminating in the annexation of Sheki in 1805, had severed these traditional economic ties and introduced competing currencies. By 1807, Russian rubles and kopecks circulated uneasily alongside Persian and Ottoman coins, as well as a plethora of older, debased local issues, creating a chaotic multi-currency environment.

This monetary confusion was exacerbated by the khanate's diminished authority under its final khan, Jafar Qoli Khan Donboli, who ruled as a Russian vassal. With real power shifting to the Russian military administration, there was no central authority capable of imposing a unified currency or regulating its value. Exchange rates fluctuated wildly based on the silver content and perceived legitimacy of coins, hindering trade and taxation. The local economy, heavily based on silk production, suffered from this uncertainty, as merchants struggled to conduct reliable transactions both within the khanate and with its neighbors.

Ultimately, the currency situation in 1807 reflected the Sheki Khanate's terminal status as a polity caught between empires. The incoherent mix of coins symbolized the incomplete process of absorption into the Russian imperial economic sphere, a process that would be formally completed in 1819 when the khanate was fully abolished and transformed into a Russian province. In this interim period, the monetary chaos served as a daily reminder of eroded sovereignty and the disruptive reality of imperial conquest.