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Dirham - al-Musta'in
| Issuer | Abbasid Caliphate |
|---|---|
| Year | 862-865 |
| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Al-Musta'in's reign was not so much a rule as a captivity with a title. Enthroned by the Turkish military commanders at Samarra who had already killed his two predecessors, he was effectively a prisoner of the factions contesting control of the caliphate. When he attempted to escape their grip by fleeing to Baghdad in 865, the Turks simply backed a rival claimant, besieged the city, and forced his abdication. He was executed shortly after.
Dirhams struck in his name during those three years carry the weight of a caliphate already hollowed out from within — the coin's authority nominal, the issuing power largely fiction.