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Dirham - al-Musta'sim Madinat al-Salam
| Issuer | Abbasid Caliphate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1242-1258 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Reverse description | Central field contains multiple lines of Arabic script identifying the caliph as 'al-Imam al-Musta'sim' and his title 'Amir al-Mu'minin' (Commander of the Faithful), arranged in horizontal registers within an inner circle. The marginal legend band carries a Quranic citation from Surat al-Saff (Chapter 61, Verse 13): 'Victory from Allah and an imminent conquest; and give good tidings to the believers,' followed by the denomination word 'al-Dirham.' The flan is irregularly shaped and the strike is typical of late Abbasid hammered dirhams produced in Baghdad during the final reign of al-Musta'sim, the last Abbasid caliph before the Mongol conquest of 1258. |
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| Mintage | ND (1242-1258) - - 650 (1253) - - |
| Additional information |
Al-Musta'sim was the last Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad, and coins struck in his name carry a finality that no contemporary would have anticipated. In 1258, Hulagu Khan's Mongol forces sacked the city, executed al-Musta'sim, and ended a caliphate that had endured for over five centuries. The House of Wisdom was destroyed; accounts describe the Tigris running black with ink from its libraries.
Madinat al-Salam — City of Peace — was the formal Abbasid name for Baghdad, used on coinage throughout the dynasty. Dirhams bearing that mint name effectively ceased with the destruction of the mint itself in the same siege.