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Dirham - Qutb al-Din Sukman II two male busts addorsed
| Issuer | Artuqids of Hisn Kayfa and Amid |
|---|---|
| Year | 1188 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 13 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is entirely occupied by a multi-line Arabic inscription arranged in six horizontal lines across the field, citing the titles and genealogy of the Artuqid ruler Qutb al-Din Sukman II as well as acknowledgment of the Ayyubid overlord al-Nasir Yusuf ibn Ayyub. The text fills the flan to the margins and is executed in a clear, dense Naskh-style script. A beaded border frames the legend on all sides. |
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| Mintage | 584 (1188) |
| Additional information |
The Artuqids of Hisn Kayfa were a Turkic dynasty operating in the upper Tigris region under nominal Seljuk suzerainty, and their copper dirhams were among the most iconographically adventurous coinages of the medieval Islamic world. Sukman II ruled from roughly 1185 to 1200, a period of considerable political turbulence as Saladin consolidated power across Syria and the Jazira, pressuring minor dynasties like the Artuqids to navigate carefully between submission and autonomy.
The addorsed bust type draws on late antique and Byzantine prototypes still circulating as visual currency in the region centuries after their original minting.