Drachm - Qatan b. 'Udayy Arab-Sasanian

Arab-Sasanian coinage of this type emerged from the early Islamic administration's pragmatic decision to keep Sasanian monetary infrastructure running after the conquest of Persia — same flans, same weight standards, same general fabric, but with Arabic religious phrases added in the margins. Qatan b. 'Udayy served as governor in the east under the Umayyads, and coins struck in his name belong to a transitional decade before Abd al-Malik's currency reform of 696 swept away the hybrid type entirely. The weight here — slightly under the standard Sasanian drachm — is not unusual for the period.