1/2 Drachm - 'Abd Allah b. Qahtaba Abbasid Governors of Tabaristan - Arab-Sasanian

'Abd Allah b. Qahtaba governed Tabaristan — the mountainous Caspian coastal region south of the Alborz range — during a turbulent period when Abbasid control over the province was contested by local Zoroastrian dynasties, particularly the Dabuyid remnants and their successors. The decision to continue striking coins in the debased Arab-Sasanian tradition, rather than fully standardized Abbasid silver, reflects how lightly central authority actually sat on this difficult terrain.

The half-drachm module itself signals fiscal pragmatism rather than policy — full drachms were the regional norm, and fractional issues from Tabaristan governors are considerably scarcer in the numismatic record.