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Fals - al-Ẓāhir Baybars I
| Issuer | Mamluk Sultanate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1260-1277 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 20 mm |
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| Obverse description | Within an inner circle, the honorific title of Sultan al-Malik al-Zahir Baybars I is inscribed in two lines in Naskh Arabic script, separated by a heraldic lion passant — the dynastic emblem of Baybars — rendered in profile facing right. The central field is enclosed by a beaded circle, itself surrounded by a plain continuous outer circle forming the border. The overall composition follows the characteristic bilateral symmetry of Mamluk fals coinage, with the lion serving as the principal identifying device of this ruler's issue. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | a) السلطان الملك الظاهر b) الملك الظاهر السلطان (Translation: The Sultan, the King al-Zahir / The King al-Zahir, the Sultan) |
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| Additional information |
Baybars came to power by murdering his predecessor Qutuz in the immediate aftermath of Ain Jalut — the first significant Mongol battlefield defeat — and wasted no time asserting legitimacy through coinage. The fals denominations circulating under his name served an overwhelmingly local exchange economy, beneath the prestige of his silver dirhams, and survive in quantities that suggest heavy production at multiple Syrian and Egyptian mints operating concurrently throughout his seventeen-year reign.
Bal II #101-102 covers a die cluster with documented mint attribution difficulties. Attribution between Damascus and Cairo issues within this reference range remains contested among specialists.