'Abbasid Caliphate. al-Rashid, AH 170-193 / AD 786-809. Dirham (Silver, 25 mm, 2.87 g, 12 h), citing the caliph Hārūn al-Rashīd and the governor [ʿUthmān ibn ʿUmāra] ibn Khuraym, Sijistan, AH 173 = AD 789/90. Central field, in three lines: lā ilāha illā / Allāh waḥdahū / lā sharīka lahū (‘There is no deity but God alone; He has no associate’ in Arabic). Margin: ḍuriba hādhā al-dirham bi-Sijistān sanat thalāth wa-sabʿīn wa-miʾa (‘This dirham was struck in Sijistān in the year one hundred and seventy-three’ in Arabic); around, five circular ornaments containing pellets. Rev. Central field, in five lines: bin Khuraym / Muḥammad rasūl / al-ṣallā Allāh ʿalayhi wa / sallam al-khalīfa Hārūn / bakh (‘Ibn Khuraym / Muḥammad is the Messenger of God / may God bless him and grant him peace / the Caliph Hārūn / “good”’ in Arabic). The word al-ṣallā is an orthographic error for ṣallā. Margin (Qurʾān 9:33): Muḥammad rasūl Allāh arsalahu bi-l-hudā wa-dīn al-ḥaqq li-yuẓhirahu ʿalā al-dīn kullihi wa-law kariha al-mushrikūn (‘Muḥammad is the Messenger of God, whom He sent with guidance and the religion of truth that He may cause it to prevail over all religion, even though the polytheists may dislike it’ in Arabic) . Album 219.4. cf. Al-ʿUsh 1618 (dated AH 172), SICA III, 834. A very rare mint. Small areas of weakness, otherwise, extremely fine.


Dirhams from the eastern mint of Sijistān are comparatively rare within the ʿAbbasid series. Particularly interesting is the presence of the word bakh (‘good’) in the reverse field, a nice addition on Islamic coinage that may represent a qualitative or administrative mark.

The legends also display an orthographic peculiarity, with the formula الصلی (al-ṣallā) written instead of the correct صلی (ṣallā) in the tasliya phrase. Together with the crudely engraved reverse marginal inscription, these features suggest an engraver less familiar with formal Arabic orthography, a phenomenon occasionally encountered at distant eastern mints operating far from the linguistic and administrative centers of the caliphate.