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1/2 Drachm - Hani Abbasid Governors of Tabaristan - Arab-Sasanian
| Issuer | Abbasid Caliphate |
|---|---|
| Year | 756-793 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of a king facing right, executed in the Sasanian tradition imitating the style of Khusro II, wearing a characteristic winged crown. An Arabic inscription appears before the bust, identifying the governor Hani, while a Pahlavi legend to the left of the bust reads 'may his glory increase.' A secondary Pahlavi inscription in the marginal area carries the epithets 'excellent' and 'good.' The overall artistic treatment reflects the hybrid Arab-Sasanian tradition, blending Islamic administrative authority with inherited Sasanian royal iconography. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Abbasid governors of Tabaristan — the mountainous region south of the Caspian Sea — continued striking coins in a debased Sasanian style long after the caliphate had otherwise standardized its coinage, a pragmatic concession to a province that had resisted Arab control more stubbornly than most. Tabaristan didn't fall fully until 760, and even afterward local administrative continuity meant Sasanian monetary conventions persisted for decades under new masters.
The half-drachm denomination itself is a regional peculiarity; the standard Arab-Sasanian series ran to full drachms.