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Drachm - 'Abd Allah b. al-Zubayr Arab-Sasanian
| Issuer | Umayyad Caliphate |
|---|---|
| Year | 679-692 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.91 g |
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| Obverse description | Facing bust of a Sasanian-style royal figure, derived from the portrait type of Khusro II, depicted with an elaborate winged crown surmounted by a crescent and globe, framed by beaded borders. The bust is rendered in the late Sasanian artistic tradition, with stylized facial features and visible royal regalia. Flanking the central portrait in the fields appear small crescent-and-star symbols characteristic of Arab-Sasanian coinage. The Pahlavi legend in the margin references the governor 'Abd Allah b. al-Zubayr, reading APDULA AMIR VURUISHNIKAN, identifying the issuing authority. |
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| Mint | Darabjird mint |
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| Additional information |
'Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr never accepted Umayyad authority and controlled the Hijaz, Iraq, and much of the east for over a decade following the death of Yazid I in 683 — a period Arab historians call the Second Fitna. These coins were struck during that rival caliphate, making them technically anti-Umayyad issues despite their later classification under Umayyad Arab-Sasanian series. The attribution reflects who ultimately won, not who issued them.
Ibn al-Zubayr was killed at Mecca in 692 when Hajjaj ibn Yusuf breached the Kaaba enclosure itself to dislodge him.