'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Mutawakkil, AH 232-247 / AD 847-861. Dirham (Silver, 26 mm, 2.95 g, 6 h), citing the heir al-Muʿtazz bi-llāh, Madinat Mah al-Kufa (Dinawar), AH 243 = AD 857/8. Central field, in four lines: lā ilāha illā / Allāh waḥdahū / lā sharīka lahū / al-Muʿtazz bi-llāh (‘There is no deity but God alone; He has no associate / al-Muʿtazz bi-llāh’ in Arabic). Margin: bi-sm Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-dirham bi-Madīnat Māh al-Kūfa sanat thalāth wa-arbaʿīn wa-miʾatayn (‘In the name of God, this dirham was struck in Madīnat Māh al-Kūfa in the year two hundred and forty-three’ in Arabic). Outer margin (Qurʾān 30:4-5): li-llāh al-amr min qabl wa-min baʿd wa-yawmaʾidhin yafraḥ al-muʾminūn bi-naṣr Allāh (‘To God belongs the command before and after, and on that day the believers will rejoice in the help of God’ in Arabic). Rev. Central field, in five lines: li-llāh / Muḥammad / rasūl / Allāh / al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh (‘For God / Muḥammad / Messenger / of God / al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh’ in Arabic). 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 to make it prevail over all religion, even though the polytheists may dislike it’ in Arabic). Album 230.3. A very rare mint. Deposits and some areas of weakness, otherwise, very fine.



The obverse names the heir al-Muʿtazz bi-llāh, son of al-Mutawakkil, who would later become caliph himself (AH 252-255 / AD 866–869). Dirhams from Madīnat Māh al-Kūfa are considerably rarer than issues from the principal Iraqi mints.