Anatolia & al-Jazira (Post-Seljuk). Zangids (al-Mawsil). Saif al-Din Ghazi II, AH 565-576 / AD 1170-1180. Dirham (Bronze, 28 mm, 9.46 g, 9 h), Pictorial type facing bust with two angels above, no mint (Mawsil), AH 568 = AD 1172/3. Bare head with dishevelled hair facing slightly to left; above, two winged figures; in field to left and right, date in Arabic: thamān wa-sittīn / wa-khams miʾa (‘568’ in Arabic). Rev. Central field, in four lines: al-malik al-ʿādil / al-ʿālim malik al-umarāʾ / al-sharq wa-l-gharb / Ṭughriltakīn atābak (‘The Just King, the Learned, King of the Commanders, of the East and the West, Ṭughriltakīn, Atabeg’ in Arabic). Around: Ghāzī ibn / Mawdūd / ibn Zangī (‘Ghāzī, son of Mawdūd, son of Zangī’ in Arabic). Album 1861.1. Spengler & Sayles 60.4. An attractive example with clear portrait and legible inscriptions. Traces of gilding and small flan faults on the edge, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.


The bronze dirhams of Sayf al-Dīn Ghāzī II belong to a well-known Zangid pictorial series that combines figural imagery with formal Arabic inscriptions. The obverse bust, accompanied by two winged figures, reflects the adaptation of earlier Byzantine and late antique artistic motifs within a local Islamic context.

The reverse emphasizes the ruler’s authority through an extended titulature, including al-malik al-ʿādil and malik al-umarāʾ al-sharq wa-l-gharb, while also naming his lineage as Ghāzī ibn Mawdūd ibn Zangī. Such genealogical references are typical of Zangid coinage and serve to reinforce dynastic legitimacy.

Coins of this type are frequently encountered with weak strikes or worn surfaces, particularly affecting the portrait and marginal legends. Examples with clear details and legible inscriptions, such as the present piece, are therefore desirable.