Last week we visited the remains of the Second Great Islamic Caliphate in their Iberian homeland, the Umayyads of Spain. This week we shall briefly examine the Third Great Islamic Caliphate, the Abbasids; and we will do so so by briefly examining some of the highlights of Abbasid rule such as the Shi'ite Uprising, the conquest of Tabaristan, and the Islamic Golden Age. 1) Who were the Abbasids and how did they come to power? The Abbasids were a rival clan to the Umayyads. The Umayyads were famous for spearheading the era of Islamic Conquest, capturing North Africa from the Byzantines, destroying the great Sassanian Empire and conquering Persia, and destroying the Visogothic Kingdom and conquering almost all of Iberia. However, the Umayyads were cruel and divisive, and as Sunni Muslims they heavily oppressed their Shia subjects. By the 740's Shia discontent with Umayyad rule boiled over and let to a caliphate wide revolt known as the Shia Uprising. The Abbasids, probably Sunni themselves, played on the ambiguity about their religious affiliations and passed themselves as Shia (or at least Shia friendly) and took advantage of the situation to expel the Umayyad rulers and push them all the way into Iberia. In 750 AD, they created the Abbasid Caliphate. Maximum Extent of Abbasid Caliphate (Circa 850 AD) 2. Conquest of Tabaristan. Although the Umayyads had conquered North Africa, Iberia, and most of Persia, one area of Persia remained independent from Islamic rule. This area was known as Tabaristan. The armies of Tabaristan managed to defy the odds and maintain and independent kingdom throughout the Era of the Islamic Conquest. It wasn't until the Abbasid armies marched against Tabaristan that the remnants of Persia finally fell uner the flag of Islam, thus completing the Islamic Conquests. Below you can see a coin of Tabaristan shortly after being brought into the fold of Islam by the Abbasids. * Coin is mine, those fingers are not! Credit for the fingers go to @John Anthony Tabaristan, Umar B. al Ala, 771-780 AD. AR Hemidrachm, 1.84 gm; 24 mm, Tapuistan (Tabaristan) year:127. Phrase "APD" at 4 oclock, Phrase "arun" at 7 oclock; phrases "GDH" and "Apzut" behind the crown; Sasanian style bust imitating Khosrau II right. Fire altar flanked by attendants; Tapuistan, year:12 Reference: H.M. Malek, "The Dabuyid Ispahbads of Tabaristan," AJN 5-6 (1993-4), 42 Map of Tabaristan 3. Islamic Golden Age The Abbasids created a climate of intellectual learning. They encouraged the copying of Greek texts, and thanks to them today we can still read Greek plays and works that would have otherwise been lost to the passage of time. They created great universities and centers of learning, and during the 10th and 11th century Baghdad became the global leader in science, mathematics, and technological research. The most influential ruler in the creation of the Islamic Golden Age was Caliph Harun al-Rashid. No one did more to advance human progress and knowledge during the end of the 8th century and the beginning of the 9th as he did. You can see a coin of his below...this is also the newest coin in my collection. Abbasid Caliphate. al-Rashid. 170-193/786-809. AR dirham (23.4 mm, 2.61 g, 2 h). Madinat al-Salam, A.H 187. Album 219.2. EF. Ex Elwood Rafn collection. Harun al-Rashid built great libraries, constructed universities, sponsored scientific research, and sent explorers throughout Asia and Europe to gather scientific, cultural, and literary knowledge, thus establishing Baghdad as the premier center for scholarship in the entire world. He even opened dialogue with European rulers, and received embassies from the European kingdoms of the era. Thanks to his efforts, the Islamic world would outshine Europe for the next 200 years. Abbasid manuscript painting (Circa 9th century)
Nice one. Here is my Abbasid dirham: Al-Mansur, Abbasid Caliphate AR dirham Obv: Kufic legends: There is no deity except God alone He has no equal (in center); In the name of God. This dirham was struck in Madinat al-Salam year 155 (in margins) Rev: Kufic legends: Muhammad the Messenger of God (in center); Muhammad is the messenger of God. He sent him with guidance and the true religion to reveal it to all religions even if the polytheists abhor it (in margins) Mint: Madinat al-Salam (struck 771-772 AD) Ref: Album 213 Size: 25 mm wide
I read the OP & plan to go back & read it again now. Much information & I truly appreciate the informative post. Here is my Tabaristan which came from a hoard from CT's own Lost Dutchman (Matt). 'Abbasid Governors of Tabaristan Islamic Imitation of Arab-Sassanian Shah Khusro II AR Half Drachm ca. 781 AD 1.93 grams, 23 mm Obv: Shah Khusro II wearing winged crown Rev: Fire altar with two attendants Grade: EF as struck with some peripheral weakness on the large thin planchet & single corrosion spot on reverse. Beginning to re-tone. Other: Anonymous “AFZWT” Type. Pahlavi AFZWT means "be it increased". Khusro II “The Victorious" 590-628 A.D. was the last great king of the Sassanian Empire, & the son of Hormizd IV. This imitation is dated Post Yazdgard Era 130 (130 PYE+ 651 = 781 A.D.) From Lost Dutchman Coins Oct 2013.
Thanks. I figured we all know tons about Rome and Greece, but very little about eastern civilizations, so if I'm going to bother to post my coins of these eastern cultures I'd be doing them a great disservice by simply posting the picture of the coin and a generic "Here is my latest coin" post.
As I expand my numismatics interests eastward, look for future series over the next few months on the Umayyads at the height of their power and the conquest of Iberia (we already did the Caliphate of Cordoba last week but there is more to tell about the Umayyads) and also write-ups on the other two great Caliphates, and some of the minor Caliphates. Starting next year I also want to expand to medieval Spain, so I hope to do a regular series on the coinage and history of Christian kings of Iberia and the Reconquista (a very broad historical and numismatics endeavor to undertake, but I want to do it). I may also do a series on the coinage of Caracalla. So yeah, lots to look forwards to. Looks like 2017 is going to be fun.
Very interesting @Sallent !! I'm a bit of a 'History Buff', so I find ALL ancient coinage fascinating (I have two modest coins of the OP type).....but there are just so many coins my budget can squeeze in LOL
I know. My budget has limits too, which is why these future series will expand the remainder of 2016 through 2017 and maybe into 2018. No way can I afford to buy everything at once for my planned Spanish Reconquista series and my Caracalla series...or even the Islamic series. These are all long term projects, so I hope all of you have patience and enjoy the projects...even if it takes a while to do it all.
very nice write up sallent. i have trouble keeping anything straight, but the medieval islamic world if very problematic for my brain for some reason. i do have a coin of tarbistan, i picked this up several years ago thinking it was cool. i'd love to get one the sasanina style coins that has the face removed from the bust, i think some people here at CT have one. here's what i do have... mine isn't bad, yours is VERY nice!
Nice writeup and coin. I've been getting a bit into the medieval coins too, loads of history and things to learn.
When it comes to ancient coin collectors, most believe the sun rises in Greece and sets with Rome, and never venture out of those two cultures. Fewer still collect medieval European coins, and even fewer collect non-Greek Asian ancient coins. And even fewer ancient numismatists collect medieval Islamic coins, which is why scarce Umayyad silver coinage can be had for $60-$100 per coin, despite some of them being much rarer than many of their European counterparts of the same time period that sell for 5 times the price. I got my Abbasid coin above for $40 (including auction fees and shipping) despite it being a silver coin from the late 700s and belonging to one of the most important medieval Islamic caliphs ever. Even I couldn't believe my luck. I expected someone else to recognize the importance of that coin and bid me up, but my fears thankfully never materialized. If you do your research and have a little patience at auction, you should be able to obtain some pretty uncommon and hard to find Islamic medieval silver for bargain prices and with little to no competition from anyone else. I recommend you give it a try. I don't regret any of my Islamic purchases. I got great history and good silver for not a lot of money.
@Sallent , sorry, twas at the beach all day today, enjoying an Anniversary. VERY nice write up! Looks like you have some REALLY cool acquisition plans acommin! Nice. Great coin! But, well, you can't go wrong grubbin' coins out of @John Anthony 's paws!
Hey thanks for the shout-outs, guys. There must have been a recent hoard discovery of the Tabaristan hemidrachms, as I've seen quite a few examples on the market lately. And a well-preserved hoard to boot, the OP coin being a prime example - they just don't get any better, really lovely coins. When Barry Murphy closed up shop at vcoins I managed to snag Greek, Semitic, Asiatic Coins and How To Read Them, by Richard Plant, thanks to a heads-up from Ardy. Now I just have to buckle down and study the thing. Ugh - there is always so much to learn and so little time, but the hobby wouldn't be worth the trouble if it was easy!
Another excellent write-up Salient and an area where I collect too. So, here are a few of my Abbasid coins that I managed to snag: Abbasid Caliphate: al-Hadi (169-170AH / 785-786CE) AR dirham, al-Muhammadiya (Album-217.2; Lowick-1666; NHR-70A) Obverse Field: لا اله الا الله وحده لا شرك له There is no God but Allah alone. There are no others with Him Obverse Margin: بسم الله ضرب هذا الدرهم بالمحمدية سنة سبعين و مئة In the name of God. This dirham was struck in Muhammadiya in the year seventy and one hundred Reverse Field: محمد رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم الخليفة الهادى Muhammad is the apostle of Allah, peace be upon him. Caliph al-Hadi بر below Reverse Margin: محمد رسول الله ارسله بالهدى و دين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله ولو كره المشركون He sent him with guidance and the true religion to reveal it to all religions even if the polytheists abhor it. Abbasid Governors: Anonymous (753-754 AD) AE Fals, al-Basra (Album-303; Nützel-2069) Obv: Within triple margin, annulet pattern ◎ ◎◎◎ repeated three times, لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له (There is no God but Allah alone. There are no others with Him) Rev: Within circle, محمد رسول الله (Muhammad is the apostle of Allah); in margin, بسم الله ضرب هذا الفلس بالبصرة سنة ست و ثلثين و مئة (In the name of Allah was struck this fals of al-Basra [in the] year six and thirty and [one] hundred); double outer circle with five ◎ annulets Abbasid Governors, Mesopotamia: al-‘Abbas b. Muhammad (750-760 AD) AE Fals, al-Jazira (Album-304; Lavoix-1568) Obv: Within circle, لا إله إلا الله وحده (There is no God but Allah alone); in margin, أمر الأمير ألعباس بن محمد اعز الله نصره (Ordered by the amir al-‘Abbas bin Muhammad, may his victories be the glory of Allah) Rev: Within circle, محمد رسول الله (Muhammad is the apostle of Allah); pellet above first line; in margin, بسم الله ضرب هذا الفلس بالجزيرة (In the name of Allah was struck this fals of al-Jazira) Abbasid Governors, Transoxiana: Ma'bad b. Khalil & al-Mahdi Muhammad (765 AD) AE Fals, Bukhara (Album-320; Nastich p. 20, fig. 16) Obv: Within a beaded circle, لا إله إلا الله وحده (There is no God but Allah alone); below ✶; in margin, separated by three annulets at intervals, ◉ بسم الله ضرب ◉ ببخارا فی سنة ◉ ثمان و اربعين و مئة (In the name of Allah, [this coin] was struck of Bukhara in the year eight and forty and [one] hundred) Rev: Within beaded circle, محمد رسول الله (Muhammad is the apostle of Allah), below Bukhara tamgha; in margin, أمر به معبد في ولية ألمهدى ولي عهد المسلمين محمد بن أمير ألمؤمنين (Ordered by the amir Ma’bad in the service of al-Mahdi, crown prince of the Muslims, Muhammad son of the commander of the faithful)
Awesome collection. Those are some very nice coins. Do you collect other Islamic or do you focus exclusively on the Abbasids?
I try to collect as many interesting Islamic coins as possible. So that includes a wide range of areas and timeframes. Here are a few interesting pieces in my collection: Ilkhan: Uljaytu (1304-1316) AR 2 dirhams, AH710, Amul Mint (Album-2184B) Obv: In double circle, ﻻ ﺍﻟﻪ ﺍﻻ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺭﺳﻮﻝ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ (There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the apostle of Allah) followed by ﻋﻠﻰ ﻭﻟﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ (Ali is the vicegerent of God), with ﺑﺴﻢ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺍﻟﻜﺮﻳﻢ (In the name of God, the Holy) around; in the margin, the Twelve Imams, normally as follows, ﺍﻟﻠﻬﻢ ﺻﻠﻰ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﻭﻋﻠﻰ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺤﺴﻦ ﻭﺍﻟﺤﺴﻴﻦ ﻭﻋﻠﻰ ﻭ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﻭ ﺟﻌﻔﺮ ﻭ ﻣﻮﺳﻰ ﻭﻋﻠﻰ ﻭ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﻭﻋﻠﻰ ﻭ ﻟﺤﺴﻦ ﻭ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ Rev: Within a quatrelobe, ضرب في أيام دولة السلطان الأعظم مالك رقاب الأمم الجايتو سلطان غياث الدنيا والدين خدا بنده محمد خلد الله ملكه; around, four segments; in upper left segment, لله الامر من قبل ومن بعد (God is before and after); in upper right, in Uighur, ᠦᠯᠵᠡᠢᠲᠦ ᠰᠤᠯᠲᠠᠨ (Uljaytu Sultan); in lower right and lower left segments, the mint and date, ﺿﺮﺏ أمل ﺳﻨﺔ ﻋﺸﺮ ﻭﺳﺒﻌﻤﺎﺋﺔ (Struck in Amul in the year ten and seven hundred) Hafsids: Anonymous (ca. 1300) AR Dirham, Ifriqiya (Album-514; Hohertz-74) Obv: Arabic legend in Nashki script لا اله الا الله الامر كله لله لا قوة الا بالله (There is no Lord except Allah; The command is all up to Allah; There is no power except through Allah) Rev: Arabic legend in Nashki script الله ربنا محمد رسولنا المهدي امامنا (Allah is our Lord; Muhammad is our Messenger; al-Mahdi is our Imam) Aq Qoyunlu: Ya'qub (1478-1490 CE) AR Tanka, NM, ND (Album-2522) Obv: Within cartouche, السلطان العادل يعقوب خان (the Just Sultan, Ya’qub Khan); below, خلد الله ملکه (May Allah preserve his kingdom) where mint name is usually found; margin unread Rev: Within square, فمن يعمل مثقال ذرة خيرا يره (He who does the weight of one grain of good shall see it); in margin, ابو بكر عمر عثمان علي (the Rashidun - Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali) Almohads: Anonymous (ca. 1160-1269) AR Dirham (Hohertz-20; Album-496) Obv: Arabic legend in Nashki script لا اله الا الله الامر كله لله لا قوة الا بالله (There is no Lord except Allah; The command is all up to Allah; There is no power except through Allah) Rev: Arabic legend in Nashki script الله ربنا محمد رسولنا المهدي امامنا (Allah is our Lord; Muhammad is our Messenger; al-Mahdi is our Imam) Lu'lu'ids: Badr al-Din Lu'lu' (1233-1258) AE Dirham, al-Mawsil, AH631 (Album-1874.1) Obv: In beaded square, diademed head in profile facing left, hair in ringlets, eight-pointed star in bottom left corner; in margins -ﺿﺮﺏ ﺑﺎﻟﻤﻮﺻﻞ ﺳﻨﺔ ﺍﺣﺪ ﻭ ﺛﻠﺜﻴﻦ ﻭﺳﺘﻤﺎﺋﺔ (Struck in al-Mawsil the year one and thirty and six hundred) Rev: In Naskh script, in center - ﺍﻻﻣﺎﻡ ﺍﻟﻤﺴﺘﻨﺼﺮ ﺑﺎﻟﻠﺔ ﺍﻣﻴﺮﺍﻟﻤﺆﻣﻨﻴﻦ (The Imam, al-Mustansir billah, Commander of the Faithful); in margins -ﺑﺪﺮ ﺍﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎﻭﺍﻟﺪﻳﻦ ﻟﻮﻟﻮ ﺍﻟﻤﻠﻚ ﺍﻟﻜﺎﻣﻞ ﺍﻟﻤﻠﻚﺍﻻﺷﺮﻑ (Resplendent Moon of the World and the Faith, Lu‘lu‘, the Perfect King, the Honored King)
Wonderful coin and great description. But this is a myth that classical texts went into oblivion in Christian Europe and that the Arab-Muslim empires saved it from getting into oblivion. Ovid, Horace, Sallust, Cicero, Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle plus many many many others were more or less preserved in the Roman Empire throughout its history by studying them and by recopying them. Later when the “barbarians” from Germany shut down the Western Roman Empire a lot were lost as there were no a sort of wide institution to sustain classical texts, although they survived in minor scale in the monasteries. In the Eastern Roman Empire(or Byzantine Empire) things were quite different as they preserved the ancient texts we have access to today just as best as they could. However during the seventh century when the Arab-Muslims conquered Middle East from Byzantine Empire, the Arab-Muslims came in contact with the classical texts. A translation from Greek into Arabic found place, and ultimately they reached Muslim Spain. As this time the “barbarians” were converted into Christianity and that meant they were interest in classical texts. A translation from Arabic into Latin found place in Spain for instance in Toledo under the reign of Alphonso X. Classical texts thus found way into (WEST) Europe, but so did also some classical texts from Byzantine Empire found way to WEST Europe, like for instance Corpus Juris Civilis was again studied in north Italy in the tenth century. After 1204 with the Latin Sack of Constantinople, Byzantine Empire declined heavily and thus a lot of Greek scholars went to particularly north Italy. Before or after the Fall of Constantinople more Greek scholars flee to north Italy and brought a lot of texts there and thus fueled further the so-called Renaissance. Had the Arab-Muslims empires not translated the Greek texts into Arabic, not much would have been lost indeed. Because the vast were already preserved in the Byzantine Empire. The Muslim scholars surely contributed into ancient science like for instance Averroes’ comments on Plato played an important role on European Scholasticism. Alhazen for instance suggested that science should be based on experiments rather than on philosophy, that idea also influenced Roger Bacon and Abelard who took that idea a step further forward. There are no doubt the Arab-Muslims contributed to ancient learning. But they did not preserve it from getting into oblivion as the Byzantines preserved most of it throughout Middle Ages and as it was from Byzantine scribes that the Arabic text were made of. Thus Plato’s Socrates’ dialogs, Aristotle’s “Politics”, Cicero’s rhetoric speeches, Homer’s Odyssey and Illiad, or Galen’s medical texts would have survived today even without the Arabic translation. Now once again: Nice coins and even nice description except from that remark on classical texts quoted above.
Nice to see the focus on islamic coinage once again. I do not collect Islamic coinage persé, but have a lot because of my focus on the Indo-Afghan-Central Asian borderlands. For people scared off by the Arab script: i can assure you most people can learn the basics of reading the coin legends within a few months. Most of my Islamic coins will probably be judged as a bit "difficult" and badly struck. Here one which is think is really pretty: Saffarids of Sistan, Taj-ud-din Harb, 1167-1215AD. (16 mm, 3.35 gr) (No this is not bronze disease, just a stable multi-color patina) The opening post showed a nice hemi-drachm of Tabaristan governor Umar. To illustrate the speed of the extend of the "arabinization" of the Persian territory at the time here another Tabaristan hemidrachm: This is in fact a hemidrachm of the same governor Umar from Tabaristan as in the opening post. In front of his face is his name. But here it is still in the old Pahlavi script which was forced out by the introduction of the arab script.
