'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Mu'tamid, AH 256-279 / AD 870-892. Dinar (Gold, 23 mm, 4.26 g, 12 h), citing the heir al-Muwaffaq bi-llāh with his laqab al-Nāṣir li-Dīn Allāh and the vizier Saʿīd b. Makhlad, titled Dhū al-Wizāratayn (“Holder of the Two Vizierates”), Kufa, AH 271 = AD 884/5. Central field, in five lines: lā ilāha illā / Allāh waḥdahu / lā sharīka lahu / al-Nāṣir li-Dīn Allāh / al-Muwaffaq bi-llāh (‘There is no deity but God alone; He has no associate / al-Nāṣir li-Dīn Allāh / al-Muwaffaq bi-llāh’ in Arabic). Margin: bi-sm Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-dīnār bi-al-Kūfa sanat iḥdā wa-sabʿīn wa-miʾatayn (‘In the name of God, this dinar was struck in Kūfa in the year two hundred and seventy-one’ in Arabic). Outer margin (Qurʾān 30:4-5): li-llāh al-amr min qablu 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 six lines: li-llāh / Muḥammad / rasūl / Allāh / al-Muʿtamid ʿalā Allāh / Dhū al-Wizāratayn (‘For God / Muḥammad / Messenger / of God / al-Muʿtamid ʿalā Allāh / Holder of the Two Vizierates’ 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). Pellet in the center. Album 239.6. An exceptionally rare mint-date combination with an interesting combination of ruler, heir, and vizier. Minor deposits and marks with slightly uneven surfaces, otherwise, about extremely fine.



This remarkable dinar illustrates the complex political hierarchy of the late 9th-century Abbasid state. The coin names three key figures: the reigning caliph al-Muʿtamid ʿalā Allāh, his powerful brother and heir al-Muwaffaq bi-llāh, and the influential vizier Saʿīd b. Makhlad, who bears the distinctive title Dhū al-Wizāratayn (“Holder of the Two Vizierates”).

Al-Muwaffaq, cited here with his laqab al-Nāṣir li-Dīn Allāh, effectively governed the eastern half of the Abbasid empire and wielded far greater political authority than the caliph himself. His presence on the coinage reflects his dominant role in Abbasid administration during this period.

Equally notable is the appearance of Dhū al-Wizāratayn, the laqab of the vizier Saʿīd b. Makhlad. The title indicates authority over both the civil and military administrations of the state, an exceptionally powerful position rarely highlighted so prominently on coinage.

Gold dinars of this type are extremely rare, and issues from al-Kūfa with this exact combination of mint, date, and officials are particularly uncommon.