5 Mithqual - Guangxu Ration coinage, with Arabic on obverse, with one bat, regular legend

Sinkiang's ration coinage was a direct administrative response to the chronic shortage of standard-weight silver in the far northwest, where Chinese central coinage rarely penetrated in sufficient quantity. The 5 mithqual denomination reflects the region's hybrid monetary tradition — mithqual being a weight standard rooted in Islamic commercial practice, still dominant in local bazaar transactions decades after Qing reconquest in 1878. This particular variety, distinguished by the single bat above the central inscription, represents one of several die combinations documented within Y#6.7, a type known for its considerable variety proliferation across the Dihua mint's output during the Guangxu period.