BI Drachm - Mleiha Series Eastern Arab Imitation

The Mleiha series takes its name from an archaeological site in present-day Sharjah, UAE, where excavations have uncovered evidence of a substantial pre-Islamic settlement and what appears to have been a local ruling authority issuing its own coinage. These billon drachms are imitations of Parthian prototypes, produced by communities on the Arabian side of the Gulf who had absorbed Parthian commercial and numismatic influence without being under direct Parthian control. Who exactly was striking them remains unresolved — no inscriptions definitively identify the issuing authority.

The Mleiha site itself was abandoned sometime around the 1st century AD, likely linked to shifting trade routes.