ISLAMIC, Anatolia & al-Jazira (Post-Seljuk). Artuqids (Mardin). Qutb al-Din Il-Ghazi II, AH 572-580 / AD 1176-1184. Dirham (Bronze, 34 mm, 15.19 g, 5 h), AH 577 = AD 1181/2. Two Byzantine style busts, draped and wearing headwear, the larger bust with dishevelled hair, the smaller bust with a close-fitting hat; above, date in Kufic. Rev. In inner field, 'al-Nasir lil-din / Amir al-Mu'minin / Hadha al-Dirham / (v-in-V) mal'un man / yu\ayyiruhu'; 'Husam al-Din / Najm al-Din ibn / Qutb al-Din ibn'; all in Kufic. Spengler & Sayles 32.1. Struck in high relief and in exceptional condition for this issue. Repatinated and with a few nicks, otherwise, good very fine.



The obverse is probably a depiction of an astrological event which took place in 576 AH = 1180/1 AD, when the planet Mercury passed the face of the Sun. If this interpretation is correct, the larger bust, with disheveled hair resembling flames, represents the sun, whereas the smaller bust is an image of the planet Mercury.