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Fals - Isma'il b. Ahmad
| Issuer | Samanid dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 894-906 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Fals (1⁄60) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central field displaying a multi-line Arabic Kufic inscription arranged in horizontal registers within a beaded inner circle, consistent with the Abbasid-derived epigraphic style adopted by the Samanid governors. The legend likely contains the Islamic profession of faith (shahada) and/or the name and titles of the Abbasid caliph. A marginal Arabic legend in Kufic script runs along the circumference of the coin within the outer border. The beaded inner circle is visible on this side and represents a common decorative convention on Samanid copper fulus. The flan is irregularly shaped, as expected for hammered copper coinage of this period and region. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Isma'il ibn Ahmad consolidated Samanid authority over Transoxiana and Khurasan by defeating the Saffarids at the Battle of the Balkh River in 900 AD, effectively making the Samanids the dominant power in the eastern caliphate. His copper fals coinage, issued from mints across the region, served the daily commercial needs of a prosperous urban economy built on the Silk Road trade passing through Bukhara and Samarkand.
Album 1444 covers a broad type with considerable mint and date variation — Zeno #17019 pins the specific attribution more narrowly.