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Silver Mahallak - Muhammad ibn 'Ali
| Issuer | Emirate of Harar (Ethiopia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1288 (1871) |
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| Currency | Mahlak (1647-1887) |
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| Obverse description | Epigraphic design consisting entirely of Arabic inscription arranged across the coin's irregular field in two lines, reading 'Al-Sultan / Muhammad ibn Ali' (The Sultan Muhammad son of Ali). The legend is rendered in a somewhat crude, informal hand characteristic of hammered provincial Islamic coinage of the period. No figurative elements are present; the entire design is textual. The flan is small and irregularly shaped, with the inscription occupying virtually the entire available field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Epigraphic reverse bearing a three-line Arabic inscription in the field, reading 'Madinat / al-Harar / 1288' (The city of Harar, [year] 1288). The inscription is arranged horizontally across the coin's irregular flan in a style typical of small hammered Islamic provincial issues. No decorative border or figurative elements are present. The date 1288 AH corresponds to 1871 CE. The lettering, though somewhat roughly executed due to the hammered technique, is legible and conforms to standard Harari coinage of the Amirate period. |
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| Additional information |
The Emirate of Harar produced these tiny fractional pieces under Amir Muhammad ibn 'Ali, who ruled from 1856 until the Egyptian annexation of the city in 1875. Harar's coinage is among the least-documented in the Islamic world — struck in a walled city-state that had been closed to non-Muslims for centuries, only opened to outsiders after Richard Burton's covert entry in 1855. The billon examples almost certainly reflect local silver supply constraints rather than deliberate debasement policy.