ISLAMIC, Umayyad Caliphate. 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, AH 65-86 / AD 685-705. Drachm (Silver, 32 mm, 3.42 g, 2 h), Arab-Sasanian ‘Miḥrāb and ʿAnāza’ type, without mint, possibly struck in Dimashq, around AH 75 = AD 694/5. Draped and armoured Sasanian-style bust of the Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan to right, wearing a helmet surmounted by korymbos, chain mail tunic and holding a sheathed sword in his right hand across his chest; behind head, ‘GDE / ʾp̄zwt’ (‘[may his] glory increase’ in Pahlavi); before, ‘hwslwb’ (‘Khosrau’ in Pahlavi); in the outer margin, divided by stars and crescents at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock, ‘bism Allāh lā ilāha – illā Allāh wa–ḥdahū Muḥammad ra–sūl Allāh’ (‘In the name of Allah. There is no deity but Allah, the One. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah’ in Arabic). Rev. Vertical barbed spear (ʿAnāza) with two pennants floating to the right, positioned beneath an arch supported by two columns, resembling a prayer niche (Miḥrāb mujawwaf); to left and right of the spear, ‘naṣr – Allāh’ (‘The help of Allah’ in Arabic); to left and right of the columns, ‘amīr al-muʾmin[īn] – khal[ī]fat Allāh’ (‘Commander of the Believers. Caliph of Allah’ in Arabic); in the outer margin, four crescent-and-star motifs, each with a pellet on either side; to the right of the uppermost crescent and star, distorted ‘ʾp̄’, standing for ‘ʾp̄d’ = ‘abd’ (‘wonderful’ in Pahlavi). CNG Mail Bid Sale 107 (2020), 3 = Malek 2019, p. 298, Fig. 9.32.27. L. Treadwell: Mihrab and ʿAnaza or Sacrum and Spear? A Reconsideration of an Early Marwanid Silver Drachm, in Muqarnas 22 (2005), pp. 1-28 (2005), p. 6, no. 5 (same dies). Extremely rare and of great historical importance. A key rarity in the early Islamic series with intricate iconography. Pierced and with minor traces of mounting, otherwise, very fine.



This coin is undoubtedly one of the most important issues of the early Islamic period. With its rich symbolism and extreme rarity, it quickly attracted the attention of scholars of religion and numismatics alike. While it draws inspiration from Sasanian prototypes - as is typical of early Islamic coinage - it diverges in several remarkable ways from the standard Arab-Sasanian types.

The obverse bust, for instance, displays a number of highly distinctive features: unlike the images of Khosrau II with his winged crown, the figure here wears a conical helmet and a coat of mail. He also holds a sword in both hands - a striking motif that recalls the 'Standing Caliph' found on contemporary fulus. These elements suggest that the figure is not, as the Pahlavi legend implies, Khosrau himself, but rather ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān, the Caliph.

This interpretation is further supported by the reverse, which breaks even more decisively with Sasanian models. Instead of the familiar Zoroastrian fire altar, it depicts a spear adorned with pennants blowing to the right - the so-called ʿAnāza (عَنَزَة) - positioned within an arch. According to George Miles, this is almost certainly the Prophet’s spear, possibly shown within a Miḥrāb (مِحْرَاب), the prayer niche in a mosque oriented toward Mecca. Interestingly, the cataloguer of Morton & Eden Auction 107 (2020), lot 3 - a note later reappearing in CNG's Islamic Auction 3 (2023), 13 - offered a more imaginative reading: he perceived a stylized face formed by the arch, legends, spear, and surrounding dot motifs. While this interpretation may be speculative, it does not detract from the coin’s iconographic significance.

The type marks a pivotal moment in the transition from Sasanian to Islamic coinage - a period in which inherited imagery was being reinterpreted, transformed, and gradually replaced. The likely depiction of the Caliph is a revolutionary innovation and underscores the extent to which early Islamic art remained rooted in the visual language of Late Antiquity, especially its imperial portraiture. One of the most striking features is the substitution of the Zoroastrian fire altar with the Prophet’s spear - an act of symbolic appropriation and religious transformation. A direct depiction of the Prophet was already inconceivable at this time, even though the Islamic prohibition of images had not yet been universally or rigidly applied. All the more remarkable, then, is this visual gesture that draws so close.

The precise historical context of this extraordinary issue remains unknown. Its extreme rarity suggests that it may have been an experimental series. The coins name neither a mint nor a date. Although long attributed to Damascus, both their unusual iconography and the presence of a Hunnic countermark on at least one specimen suggest an origin further east.

The considerable stylistic differences among the known dies may suggest a mobile mint - perhaps one operating in the context of a military campaign. This interpretation is supported by the coin’s martial imagery: the Caliph appears in arms, while the Prophet’s weapon evokes both spear-won territory - a concept deeply rooted in Hellenistic and Roman imperial ideology - and religious legitimacy.

Also notable is the stark imbalance between the number of known dies and the very limited number of surviving coins. The most plausible explanation is that the struck pieces were later withdrawn and melted down, whether for religious or political reasons. The iconography may ultimately have been deemed too provocative. As a result, only a handful of examples have endured - making them among the most compelling and enigmatic numismatic testimonies of early Islam.