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Fals - temp. al-Mansur Balkh
| Issuer | Abbasid Caliphate |
|---|---|
| Year | 767 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Irregular, flan struck in copper with a heavily worn and patinated surface displaying dark brown and olive-green toning. The obverse field bears multiple horizontal lines of Arabic Kufic script arranged in registers across the central area, though the legends are largely obscured by wear and encrustation. The flan is slightly ragged at the periphery, consistent with hand-hammered production at the Balkh mint during the early Abbasid period. No figural imagery is present, in accordance with the aniconic tradition of Abbasid coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | مما أمر حرب بن زياد المهدي ولي عهد المسلمين محمد بن أمير المؤمنين |
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| Additional information |
Al-Mansur's copper coinage from Balkh belongs to a deliberate administrative push in the 760s to extend Abbasid monetary reach into Khurasan and Transoxiana following the consolidation of power after the revolution of 750. Balkh, ancient capital of Bactria and a major node on routes into Central Asia, was precisely the kind of provincial mint al-Mansur needed functioning to supply small-change to garrisoned cities. Copper fals were struck locally because bronze fractions couldn't be shipped economically from Iraq.
Al-Mansur is also the caliph who founded Baghdad in 762 — five years before this piece was struck — and the administrative reorganization that project demanded extended to mint policy across the eastern provinces.