'Abbasid Caliphate. temp. Al-Rashid, AH 170-193 / AD 786-809. Dinar (Gold, 18 mm, 4.22 g, 3 h), Citing ʿAlī [ibn Sulaymān], no mint (Misr), AH 170 = AD 786/7. 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). Margin (Qurʾān 9:33): Muḥammad rasūl Allāh arsalahū bi-l-hudā wa-dīn al-ḥaqq li-yuẓhirahū ʿalā al-dīn kullihī (‘Muḥammad 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’ in Arabic). Rev. Central field, in four lines: Muḥammad / rasūl / Allāh / ʿAlī (‘Muḥammad / Messenger / of God / ʿAlī’ in Arabic). Margin: bi-sm Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-dīnār sanat sabʿīn wa-miʾa (‘In the name of God, this dinar was struck in the year one hundred and seventy’ in Arabic). Album 218.6. Bernardi 63. Lowick 3. Rare. Minor marks, otherwise, extremely fine.



This rare mintless Abbasid dinar cites ʿAlī, usually identified as ʿAlī ibn Sulaymān, governor of Miṣr under Hārūn al-Rashīd. The addition of a personal name is notable, since the standard mintless Abbasid post-reform gold series normally carries only religious legends and the date.

During the later 2nd century AH, Egyptian gold issues frequently incorporated the names of provincial governors, reflecting the administrative importance of Miṣr within the Abbasid monetary system and the close supervision exercised over its gold coinage. The date AH 170 is also historically significant as the first year of Hārūn al-Rashīd’s reign.