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<p>[QUOTE="Parthicus, post: 4616408, member: 81887"]Since I posted a photo of this coin yesterday, I guess it's time for me to do a proper write-up:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1143301[/ATTACH] </p><p>Saffarids. Shiraz mint. AR dirham (3.25 g, 28 mm). Tahir ibn Muhammad (288-296 AH/901-908 AD), dated 289 AH (902 AD). Album 1402, Wilkes 1444. This coin: Stephen Album Auction 37, lot 2393 (June 2020).</p><p><br /></p><p>The Saffarid dynasty was founded in 861 AD by Ya'qub ibn al-Layth as-Saffar (saffar means "coppersmith" in Persian) who originally practiced the trade for which he is named, before turning to warlordism in Sistan province of eastern Persia. He soon expanded out from his capital at Zaranj city to control most of what is now Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, plus some territory in Central Asia. His brother Amr ibn al-Layth succeeded him in 879. In 900, Amr ibn al-Layth was captured in battle by his enemies the Samanids to the north. Although Amr officially remained Emir of the Saffarids until the next year, the Saffarid army proclaimed its allegiance to Amr's grandson Tahir ibn Muhammad, who made his younger brother a junior co-ruler. A Turkish slave-soldier, Sebuk-eri, exercised considerable power behind the scenes, and soon gained control of Fars and Kirman provinces in southern Persia. By 905, he had stopped forwarding the taxes from his provinces to Tahir. Tahir did briefly lead an army against Sebuk-eri, but soon gave up and returned to his capital, leading a life of pleasure and dissipation. In 908, a nephew of Amr, al-Layth ibn Ali, took control at Zaranj, forcing Tahir and his brother to flee. They at first planned to seek shelter in Fars with Sebuk-eri (why they thought they could trust this rebellious official is not clear to me), but instead lead their remaining loyal troops against him. Tahir and his brother lost, and were captured by Sebuk-eri, who sent them along to the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad. Although Tahir and his brother were reportedly treated well, they were never released and died in captivity. The Saffarid dynasty began declining at this time, losing territory until only a remnant was left in Sistan. </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1143318[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>(Map showing the extent of Saffarid territory in 900 AD, at the start of Tahir ibn Muhammad's reign. Reposted from Wikipedia.)</p><p><br /></p><p>While the Saffarids were not a very long-lived dynasty, they are considered an important part of the Persian Renaissance, which saw the emergence of independent Persian Islamic dynasties and a revival of Persian culture, especially in literature. While the design of this coin is hardly ground-breaking, it does have an attractive layout of the legend, and clearly some care was taken in the engraving. The mint of Shiraz, the famous city in Fars province, is a scarcer mint for this reign. Please post your Saffarid coins, or whatever else you feel is related.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Parthicus, post: 4616408, member: 81887"]Since I posted a photo of this coin yesterday, I guess it's time for me to do a proper write-up: [ATTACH=full]1143301[/ATTACH] Saffarids. Shiraz mint. AR dirham (3.25 g, 28 mm). Tahir ibn Muhammad (288-296 AH/901-908 AD), dated 289 AH (902 AD). Album 1402, Wilkes 1444. This coin: Stephen Album Auction 37, lot 2393 (June 2020). The Saffarid dynasty was founded in 861 AD by Ya'qub ibn al-Layth as-Saffar (saffar means "coppersmith" in Persian) who originally practiced the trade for which he is named, before turning to warlordism in Sistan province of eastern Persia. He soon expanded out from his capital at Zaranj city to control most of what is now Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, plus some territory in Central Asia. His brother Amr ibn al-Layth succeeded him in 879. In 900, Amr ibn al-Layth was captured in battle by his enemies the Samanids to the north. Although Amr officially remained Emir of the Saffarids until the next year, the Saffarid army proclaimed its allegiance to Amr's grandson Tahir ibn Muhammad, who made his younger brother a junior co-ruler. A Turkish slave-soldier, Sebuk-eri, exercised considerable power behind the scenes, and soon gained control of Fars and Kirman provinces in southern Persia. By 905, he had stopped forwarding the taxes from his provinces to Tahir. Tahir did briefly lead an army against Sebuk-eri, but soon gave up and returned to his capital, leading a life of pleasure and dissipation. In 908, a nephew of Amr, al-Layth ibn Ali, took control at Zaranj, forcing Tahir and his brother to flee. They at first planned to seek shelter in Fars with Sebuk-eri (why they thought they could trust this rebellious official is not clear to me), but instead lead their remaining loyal troops against him. Tahir and his brother lost, and were captured by Sebuk-eri, who sent them along to the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad. Although Tahir and his brother were reportedly treated well, they were never released and died in captivity. The Saffarid dynasty began declining at this time, losing territory until only a remnant was left in Sistan. [ATTACH=full]1143318[/ATTACH] (Map showing the extent of Saffarid territory in 900 AD, at the start of Tahir ibn Muhammad's reign. Reposted from Wikipedia.) While the Saffarids were not a very long-lived dynasty, they are considered an important part of the Persian Renaissance, which saw the emergence of independent Persian Islamic dynasties and a revival of Persian culture, especially in literature. While the design of this coin is hardly ground-breaking, it does have an attractive layout of the legend, and clearly some care was taken in the engraving. The mint of Shiraz, the famous city in Fars province, is a scarcer mint for this reign. Please post your Saffarid coins, or whatever else you feel is related.[/QUOTE]
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