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Drachm - al-Harith b. 'Abd Allah Arab-Sasanian
| Issuer | Umayyad Caliphate |
|---|---|
| Year | 683-684 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic/Pahlavi |
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| Reverse description | Central fire altar with two attendant figures standing to either side in the traditional Sasanian manner, each facing inward toward the altar flame, rendered in a schematic and somewhat degenerate late Sasanian style. The altar is depicted with a stepped base and a flame rising from the top. Marginal legends in Pahlavi and Arabic encircle the design within a beaded border, identifying the governor and mint. The overall composition closely follows the Sasanian drachm prototype issued under Khusro II, adapted for Arab-Sasanian usage. |
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| Additional information |
Al-Harith b. 'Abd Allah al-Azdi served as governor of Sijistan under the Umayyad administration, issuing coins that replicate Sasanian silver prototypes so closely that attribution depends almost entirely on the Arabic marginal inscriptions. His governorship coincided with the broader Second Fitna — the civil war following Yazid I's death — when central Umayyad authority fractured and regional governors operated with considerable autonomy. That instability is precisely why so many Arab-Sasanian issues from this window survive in such variety; multiple governors struck simultaneously with no unified monetary policy enforcing standardization.