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Larin / Tawilah
| Issuer | Bani Khalid Emirate |
|---|---|
| Year | |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Elongated folded wire larin of characteristic fish-hook form, hammered from a billon strip and bent upon itself to create a doubled rod shape tapering to rounded terminals. The outer surface displays faint incuse impressions resulting from the striking process, with irregular surface texturing consistent with hammered billon coinage of the Persian Gulf region. No figural or calligraphic design is clearly discernible on this face due to the nature of the folded larin format. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
The larin form — wire coiled into a fishhook shape — originated in southern Iran and spread across Gulf trade routes as a practical medium for merchants who could test purity by straightening and biting the metal. The Bani Khalid, who dominated the al-Ahsa region of eastern Arabia through the 17th and 18th centuries, issued these as a regional adaptation of that itinerant currency tradition. Billon content varied considerably across Gulf larin issues, and this piece's silver-copper mix places it firmly in the debased end of the spectrum — a pragmatic response to chronic bullion shortages along the Arabian coast.