Umayyad Caliphate, Silver coinage. AR Dirham (26.2mm, 2.83 g, 3h). Mihrjanqudhaq mint. Dated AH 94 (AD 712/3). Minor edge damage, otherwise EF.

Islamic Auction 7 - Session One
Lot: 66.
Closing Date: Oct 24 2024 11:00 GMT

Umayyad Silver and Bronze, Silver

Estimate: $ 10 000

BID NOW

Umayyad Caliphate, Silver coinage. AR Dirham (26.2mm, 2.83 g, 3h). Mihrjanqudhaq mint. Dated AH 94 (AD 712/3). Klat 625; Al-‘Ajlan p.186, no. 50. Minor edge damage, otherwise EF. Extremely rare.

Mihrjanqudhaq was the name of a district in Jibal, close to the border with Iraq. Its chief town was Saymara. One of the rarest Umayyad dirham mints - Mihrjanqudhaq was completely unknown to Walker - the mint-name is not otherwise found in the Islamic coinage record.

After the foundation of Wasit and the opening of its mint in AH 84, production of dirhams elsewhere in Iraq and the East virtually ceased for several years. This policy was abruptly reversed in AH 90, when dozens of mints began to strike silver in this part of the Islamic world. Some of these had previously issued Arab-Sasanian or early post-Reform silver, while others completely new foundations, and it is clear that their output could vary dramatically. Given their extreme rarity today, it is difficult to see any economic benefits from opening a new mint at Mihrjanqudhaq as they could hardly have made a noticeable contribution to the coinage stocks in circulation. But they might hint at a change in how taxes were raised and collected, or perhaps even a wider and more decentralised approach to provincial administration.

Closing Date and Time: at 14:21:40 ET.