Dirham - Isma'il small flan - Farwan mint

Isma'il ibn Sebüktigin's reign lasted barely a year before his brother Mahmud defeated and imprisoned him in 998, making any coinage struck in his name exceptionally short-lived. The Farwan mint — operating in the frontier territories northeast of the Hindu Kush — adds a further layer of rarity, as provincial output from this transitional moment in Ghaznavid history is poorly documented and thinly represented in major collections.

The reduced flan specification distinguishes this from standard Ghaznavid dirham production of the period, likely reflecting local silver availability rather than a policy decision from Ghazni.