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2 Qirsh - Abdullah
| Issuer | Mahdist State of Sudan |
|---|---|
| Year | 1894 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a multi-line Arabic epigraphic legend arranged across the field, recording the mint name and Hijri date with regnal year. A horizontal line divides the inscription, separating the mint formula 'ضرب في أم درمان' (Struck in Omdurman) from the Hijri year '١٣١١' and the regnal year '١١'. Decorative foliate or floral ornaments appear at the upper right and lower portions of the field, framing the text. The coin exhibits characteristic flan cracking and rim damage, reflecting the rudimentary production methods of the Mahdist Omdurman mint. The overall composition is purely epigraphic, consistent with the religious strictures of the Mahdist State. |
| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
The Mahdist State issued coinage not as a practical monetary instrument but as a declaration of theological authority — the coins bore religious inscriptions asserting the Mahdi's divine mission, making them ideological objects as much as anything else. Abdullah ibn Muhammad, who assumed leadership after the Mahdi's death in 1885, continued striking billon issues from Omdurman under increasingly difficult conditions as the Anglo-Egyptian reconquest tightened its grip on the region. The minting infrastructure was crude, and planchet quality varied wildly.
KM#18 was struck just four years before Kitchener's forces destroyed Omdurman at the Battle of Karari in 1898, ending the state entirely.