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Dirham - Fakhr al-Din Qara Arslan vested bust, winged figure to right
| Issuer | Artuqids of Hisn Kayfa and Amid |
|---|---|
| Year | 1175 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dinar (628/632-1598) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse field is entirely occupied by a multi-line Arabic inscription in Naskhi script, arranged in horizontal registers filling the coin's surface. The text contains the ruler's titles and name along with standard Artuqid formulaic legends, including religious phrases and possibly the mint and date. A vertical dividing element appears on the left side of the field, with the whole composition enclosed within a dotted circular border typical of Artuqid copper dirhams of the twelfth century. |
| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Fakhr al-Din Qara Arslan ruled Hisn Kayfa from roughly 1148 to 1174, and the Artuqids of this branch were unusual among contemporary Anatolian dynasties for their sustained interest in figurative imagery on copper coinage — a tradition borrowed heavily from late antique and Byzantine prototypes still circulating in the region. The winged figure type draws on Hellenistic intermediaries that had survived centuries of transmission through Byzantine and Syriac artistic channels.
Copper dirhams of this Artuqid branch were local market currency, not prestige issues, and circulated hard in the upper Tigris towns. Specimens with this much original surface are genuinely scarce.