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Dirham - al-Mahdi
| Issuer | Abbasid Caliphate |
|---|---|
| Year | 775-785 |
| 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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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse displays the shahada in three lines of bold Kufic script occupying the central field, reading the Islamic declaration of faith. The central legend is enclosed within a single line inner circle, surrounded by an annular marginal legend in Arabic Kufic script. The outer margin is further framed by a plain linear border, with small pellet or annulet ornaments punctuating the field at cardinal points between the inner and outer circles, characteristic of early Abbasid hammered coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Al-Mahdi's reign saw a deliberate tightening of Abbasid mint administration, with the caliph's name appearing more consistently on coinage than under his predecessors — part of a broader effort to centralize authority after the turbulent transition from Umayyad rule. Mints from Madinat al-Salam to the eastern provinces at al-Muhammadiyya and beyond all struck to the reformed standard his grandfather al-Mansur had established.
Album 215.1 distinguishes the primary issue from several related varieties differentiated by mint name and marginal inscriptions — attribution without a legible mint is possible but limits value to type identification only.