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Dirham - al-Ma'mun Samarqand
| Issuer | Abbasid Caliphate |
|---|---|
| Year | 814 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Obverse description | Central field bearing the Shahada in three horizontal lines of Kufic Arabic script: 'There is no deity except God alone, He has no equal.' The central inscription is enclosed within a single linear border. The surrounding marginal legend, rendered in Kufic script, reads the mint and date formula: 'In the name of God, this dirham was struck at Samarqand in the year one hundred and ninety-eight.' The coin is struck on an irregular flan typical of early Abbasid hammered silver coinage, with characteristic flat fields and bold, angular lettering. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Al-Ma'mun struck coins at Samarqand while still governor of Khurasan, before his victory in the civil war against his brother al-Amin. The Samarqand mint was central to his revenue base during that conflict, which ended with al-Amin's execution in 813 — meaning this piece dates to almost exactly the moment of his succession as sole caliph. Album 223.3 distinguishes the eastern mint issues from the Iraqi series produced under al-Amin's authority, a distinction with direct political weight.