Persia (Pre-Seljuq). Tahirids. Talha ibn Tahir, AH 207-213 / AD 822–828. Dirham (Silver, 27 mm, 2.72 g, 3 h), Samarqand, AH 209 = 824/5. 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). Inner margin: bi-sm Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-dirham bi-Samarqand sanat tisʿ wa-miʾatayn (‘In the name of God, this dirham was struck in Samarqand in the year two hundred and nine’ 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 five lines: li-llāh / Muḥammad rasūl / Allāh al-Maʾmūn / khalīfat Allāh / Ṭalḥa (‘For God / Muhammad is the Messenger of God / al-Maʾmūn is the Caliph of God / Ṭalḥa’ in Arabic). Margin: Muḥammad rasūl Allāh arsalahu bi-l-hudā wa-dīn al-ḥaqq li-yuẓhirahu ʿalā al-dīn kullihi wa-law kariha al-mushrikūn (‘Muhammad 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 1393. Cf. Soleimani 95 (dated AH 208). Beautifully toned. Minor deposits and tiny marks, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.


The Ṭāhirids were the first semi-autonomous Iranian dynasty to rule Khurāsān under nominal ʿAbbasid authority. Although formally governors of the caliph, their control over eastern mints such as Samarqand allowed them to issue coins prominently naming their own ruler alongside the reigning caliph.