Dirham - Badr al-Din Lu'lu'

Badr al-Din Lu'lu' governed Mosul for nearly half a century, initially as a slave regent and later as an autonomous ruler who skillfully outlasted the Ayyubid dynasty that had originally held the city. His coins are among the more politically candid objects of the medieval Islamic world — he began issuing currency in his own name only after it became clear no Ayyubid successor could credibly demand otherwise. The Mongol destruction of Baghdad in 1258 forced an abrupt recalculation; Lu'lu' made submission to Hülegü, dying the following year with Mosul briefly intact.