ISLAMIC, Umayyad Caliphate. temp. Yazid I ibn Mu'awiya, AH 60-64 / AD 680-683. Fals (Bronze, 20 mm, 4.72 g, 3 h), Arab-Byzantine type, 'Jaza hadha' type, probably struck in the 'Pseudo-Damascus' mint. Imperial figure standing facing, holding long cross in his right hand and globus cruciger in his left; to left, falcon standing right on T (falcon perch?). Rev. Large M in center; above, staurogram; below, officina mark of seven-pointed star with short line beneath; around blundered legend reading 'jaza hadha dimashq wafiyah' ('this [fals] current in Dimashq' in Arabic). Goodwin&Gyselen p. 106, 160ff. Thick dark green patina. Some areas of weakness, otherwise, very fine.


The falcon on the obverse symbolizes the importance of falconry within the Umayyad culture: it was a favorite pastime of the ruling elite and a symbol of high status, and it is said that Yazid I ibn Mu'awiya even had separate houses built for his beloved falcons.