'Abbasid Caliphate. temp. Al-Rashid. AH 170-193 / AD 786-809. AV Dinar (18mm, 4.13 g, 7h). Without mint-name. Dated AH 171 (AD 787/8). Near VF, slightly bent at one edge, some light graffiti.

Islamic Auction 7 - Session One
Lot: 75.
Closing Date: Oct 24 2024 11:00 GMT

‘Abbasid Caliphate, Gold

Estimate: $ 750

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'Abbasid Caliphate. temp. Al-Rashid. AH 170-193 / AD 786-809. AV Dinar (18mm, 4.13 g, 7h). Without mint-name. Dated AH 171 (AD 787/8). Citing Muhammad. Cf. CNG Islamic Auction 1 (25 May 2022), lot 109; Bernardi –. Near VF, slightly bent at one edge, some light graffiti. Extremely rare.

It has been suggested that the Muhammad cited on this coin is Muhammad b. Sulayman b. 'Ali, a cousin of the first two 'Abbasid caliphs, al-Saffah and al-Mansur, and husband of the caliph al-Mahdi's daughter, 'Abbasa. For much of his adult life he served as governor of Basra and its dependencies, which, in the time of Harun al-Rashid, also included Bahrayn, 'Uman and Yamama.

Muhammad is reported to have been a compulsive hoarder. He was still in office when he died in AH 173 / AD 789, whereupon his vast fortune, which contemporary accounts suggest may have amounted to sixty million dirhams, was promptly confiscated by the caliph. But Muhammad had not only hoarded treasure but other things also, including food and especially fish, all of which had rotted while in storage. This was dumped in the street outside Muhammad’s palace by the caliph’s agents, and al-Tabari reports that the stench was so awful that the inhabitants of Basra had to avoid the area for several days afterwards!

Closing Date and Time: at 14:24:40 ET.