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Dirham - Mika'il b. Ja'far Imitating Samanid prototypes
| Issuer | Volga Bulgaria |
|---|---|
| Year | 950-962 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#1.x |
| Obverse description | Hammered silver dirham struck in the Samanid tradition, featuring a central field divided into three horizontal registers of Arabic Kufic inscription. The innermost area contains the shahada and mint formula, enclosed within a single-line inner circle. A wide marginal legend band surrounds the central field, separated by two concentric linear borders, carrying the Quranic formula and mint and date information. The flan is irregular and slightly cupped, typical of Volga Bulgarian hammered coinage of the mid-tenth century. The strike is moderately well-centred, with the legends legible across most of the surface. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Reverse in the Samanid style, with a central field arranged in three horizontal lines of Kufic Arabic legend giving the name of the local ruler Mika'il b. Ja'far, enclosed within a single-line inner circle. A wide circular marginal legend carries the Surat al-Ikhlas (Quran 112), separated from the central area by two concentric linear borders. The flan is irregularly shaped and of varying thickness, consistent with the hand-hammered production technique of Volga Bulgarian mint output. The overall layout closely imitates Samanid prototypes of the same period. |
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| Mintage | 338 (950) - - 350 (962) - - |
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