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Fals - Muzaffar ibn Muhammad
| Issuer | Darband, Emirate of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1136-1160 |
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| Currency | Dinar (628/632-1598) |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by a multi-line Arabic Kufic or Naskh-style inscription filling the entire flan, arranged in horizontal registers across the die. The legend, invoking religious formulae and the ruler's name, is rendered in bold, deeply incised strokes characteristic of provincial Islamic hammered coinage. The irregular flan edges reflect the hand-cut planchet technique typical of medieval Caucasian copper issues. No border or decorative frame is present, and the inscription extends nearly to the coin's periphery. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Darband — the "Gate of Gates" — occupied one of the most strategically fought-over chokepoints in the medieval world, the narrow coastal corridor between the Caucasus mountains and the Caspian Sea. The Emirate that produced this fals existed in the fractious aftermath of Seljuk expansion into the Caucasus, with local dynasties like the Mazyadids of Darband maneuvering carefully between Seljuk overlordship and Armenian, Georgian, and Shirvanshah pressure from multiple directions.
Copper fals from this region and period survive in small numbers and are poorly represented in major collections, making the Wilkes corpus one of the few systematic references for attribution.