ISLAMIC. AH 289–295 / AD 902–908. Seal (Lead, 17 mm, 2.46 g, 2 h), 12 dirhams jizya seal with a string hole, citing al-Muktafī bi-llāh, 29x AH = AD 902-908. In two lines: Muḥammad ibn … (‘Muḥammad son of …’ in Arabic); Margin: al-Muktafī bi-llāh amīr al-muʾminīn … (‘al-Muktafī bi-llāh, Commander of the Faithful …’ in Arabic). Rev. Crescent to right and star to left above: ithnā ʿashar (‘twelve’ in Arabic); Margin: fī sana … tisʿīn wa-miʾatayn (‘in the year 29x’ in Arabic). A rare and historically important early Islamic tax seal naming a caliph and recording a specific fiscal denomination. Earthen deposits and somewhat bent, otherwise, very fine.


This seal provides clear evidence of early Islamic fiscal administration under the ʿAbbāsid caliph al-Muktafī bi-llāh (r. AH 289-295 / AD 902–908), whose name appears in the marginal inscription. The reverse explicitly records the amount ithnā ʿashar (twelve), indicating that the seal functioned within a taxation system, most plausibly connected with the collection or validation of jizya. Historical sources describe a three-tier structure of taxation, typically set at twelve, twenty-four, and forty-eight dirhams according to economic status. The present seal therefore corresponds to the lowest tier, associated with individuals of more modest means.

The inclusion of both a named official, Muḥammad ibn …, and the reigning caliph reflects the layered administrative structure of the period, in which local agents operated under central caliphal authority.

The presence of iconographic elements, namely the crescent and star, is also noteworthy. While not unprecedented, such symbols are relatively uncommon on Islamic lead seals, which are typically dominated by inscriptions.

As with most seals of this type, each example is effectively unique, preserving localized and often otherwise unattested administrative information. Specimens that combine a legible fiscal denomination, partial dating, and explicit caliphal attribution, as here, are particularly rare and desirable.