ISLAMIC, Armenia. Aḥdabids of Dvin. Fakhr al-Dīn Arslān Toghmish, circa AH 539-558 / AD 1144-1163, circa AH 539-558 / AD 1144-1163. Fals (Bronze, 19 mm, 3.89 g, 6 h), acknowledging Masʿud I, Seljuk of Rum. NM (Dvin in Armenia). Within a six-pointed star ornamented with floral devices: [Fakhr al-Dīn] in Arabic, of which only the letter rāʾ is visible on the present specimen. Rev. Within circular border: sulṭān / al-salāṭīn (?) [al-amīr / Masʿūd] (‘Sultan of Sultans the Amir Masʿūd’ in Arabic). Album 1905F. A. Akopyan, Dvin in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries. City History in the Light of New Numismatic Materials, pl. III, 19. Exceptionally rare, apparently the third known example. Halved, otherwise, good fine.


This exceptional copper issue was struck at Dvin during the period of Aḥdabid control under Fakhr al-Dīn Arslān Toghmish, who governed the region in the mid-6th century AH while acknowledging Seljūq sovereignty. The coin names the Seljūq ruler Masʿūd, reflecting the political subordination of the local authority to the Seljuks of Rum. Only two other specimens of this type have been reported in the literature. The present example is the only known specimen preserving the upper portions of the legends with notable clarity, contributing significantly to the reconstruction and interpretation of this exceptionally rare Dvin issue.