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1 Dirham - 'Ayn al-Dawlah Isma'il
| Issuer | Danishmendids of Malatya |
|---|---|
| Year | 1142-1152 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Dirham (0.7) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a four-line Greek devotional inscription filling the entire field of the irregular flan, a formula characteristic of Byzantine-influenced coinage adopted by the Danishmendid rulers. The legend reads 'Lord, help thy servant Isma'il,' reflecting the Christian scribal tradition retained in the mint workshops of Malatya. The raised lettering is boldly struck in hammered relief against a flat, undecorated field. The coin exhibits typical surface roughness and patination associated with circulated medieval Anatolian copper issues. No border, exergue, or secondary decorative elements are present. |
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| Edge | Plain. |
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| Additional information |
The Danishmendids occupied an awkward political middle ground in twelfth-century Anatolia — nominally allies of the Seljuks, periodically their rivals, and constant targets of Crusader pressure from the west. 'Ayn al-Dawlah Isma'il ruled the Malatya branch of the dynasty during a period when the wider Danishmendid confederation was already fragmenting, with different lines controlling Sivas, Ankara, and Malatya simultaneously under competing amirs.
Copper dirhams from peripheral Danishmendid branches survive in far smaller numbers than those from the main Sivas line, largely because Malatya's output was modest and local in circulation.