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Qanhari Dirham 'Damma' - Uyayna ibn Musa al-Tamimi
| Issuer | Abbasid Caliphate (Governor Uyayna ibn Musa al-Tamimi) |
|---|---|
| Year | 754-760 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Damma (⅙) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Crudely struck irregular silver flan bearing a three-line Arabic Kufic inscription filling the central field, reading the Shahada partial formula. The lettering is executed in an archaic, compressed script characteristic of early Abbasid provincial coinage in Sind. The flan is irregular and lumpy, with no border or marginal legend, and the strike is uneven, leaving portions of the design weakly impressed. The overall style reflects the transitional Qanhari coinage tradition of the mid-8th century. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Uyayna ibn Musa al-Tamimi governed during the chaotic opening years of Abbasid rule, when the new dynasty was still consolidating power after overthrowing the Umayyads in 750. The 'damma' — a fractional denomination far below the standard dirham — served local exchange in eastern markets where full dirhams were too valuable for everyday transactions. Qanhar itself remains imprecisely located, which is part of why attributing these tiny pieces took so long in modern scholarship.
At 0.32g, the flan is almost absurdly small, and die alignment on surviving examples is rarely consistent — not a production flaw so much as an inherent limitation of striking fractions at this scale.