161AH Silver Islamic Coin Abbasid Dirham al-Muhammadiya Caliph Al-Mahdi
Description: Silver Dirham from issued by Caliph Al-Mahdi, who ruled the Muslim empire in the period 158-169 AH (775 - 785 AD). Al-Mahdi the third caliph of the Abbasid dynasty. His full name being Abu Abdul Allah al-Mahdi. This is a dirham, weighs ~2.8 grams and is~23 mm in diameter. The coin shows the date of minting as 161 AH and the mint as al-Muhammadiya. The obverse of the coin has the words "Muhammad Rasul Allah Sala Allah 'Alihe Wa Salam; al-Khalifa al-Mahdi" in the center. There is also the religious verse "Muhammad Rasul Allah, arsaluh bil huda wa din al haq liazharuh 'al al din kulh walaw karah al mushrikon" along the edge of the obverse. The reverse shows the name of the mint and the date in a circle along the edge. It also has the words "La Illaha ella Allah, Wahduh la Sharik Lah" in the center. Please note the coin is much better than the photos suggest with a relatively well defined and fairly legible calligraphy. Please carefully review the images presented as they part and parcel of our description.
Date: 161 AH or 778 AD.
Mint: al-Muhammadiya.
Size and weight: This is a dirham weighs ~2.8 grams and is ~23 mm in diameter.
References: It is Album #215.1, Wilkes #379, and is listed in Lane-Poole's Catalogue of the Collection of Arabic Coins Preserved in the Khedivial Library in Cairo as #370.
Condition: I would grade this coin as very fine. The coin has fairly readable calligraphy and is a nice-looking coin. The coin has wear commensurate with its age and circulated tate. It has a few scratches and minor bag marks in the field and shows wear to the high points, but has no losses. The coin has a small pinch and some curving too the planchet at about 2 o'clock. The calligraphy is rather difficult to read because of being more compact than usual, but it is still discernable. Be that as it may the coin is very nice and would make a great addition to your collection. Please note the coin itself is much better than the photos suggest. Please see scan for additional condition information.
Historic Perspective: Abbasid is an Arabic ruling dynasty, originally based in Madinat al-Salam (current day Baghdad) that expanded the Muslim empire and lasted from 750 Ad to 1258 AD. It was named for al-Abbas (566?-652), paternal uncle of the prophet Muhammad. Al-Safah leaded the revolt against the Umayyad established and became the first Abbasid Caliph upon the overthrow of the Umayyad caliph in 132 AH / 749 AD. During the first century of the Abbasid rule the empire experienced a time of unprecedented cultural, artistic, and economic development, particularly during the reigns of Harun al-Rashid (786-809) and his son al-Ma mun (813-833).
