ISLAMIC, Umayyad Caliphate. temp. 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, AH 65-86 / AD 685-705. Fals (Bronze, 16 mm, 3.34 g, 6 h), 'Standing Caliph' type, Qurus (Cyrrhus), AH 74-80 / AD 693/4-699/700. Caliph standing facing, bearded, placing his right hand on the pommel of his sword and girdle band hanging from his right elbow; around, 'li 'abd allah' abd al-malik amir al-mu'minin' ('the servant of God, Abd al-Malik, Commander of the Faithful' in Kufic).
Rev. Transformed cross standing on three steps; in left field, wāf ('full weight' in Kufic); in right field, 'Qurus' in Kufic; around, part of the first Kalima reading 'la ilaha illa allah wahdahu muhammad rasul allah' ('There is no God but God alone; Muhammad is the Prophet of God'). Album 672. DOCAB -. Goodwin, Standing Caliph Coinage, Qurus, 340. Very rare. Very fine.
From a collection of Arab-Byzantine and Crusader coins, formed in the 1990s.
Qurus is the Arab name for the city of Cyrrhus, which was founded by Seleukos I Nikator shortly after 300 BC. The rarity of the 'Standing Caliph' coins minted in Qurus results from the the brief activity of the mint, which was probably connected to Abd al-Malik's decision to station considerable numbers of troops in the region for a short period of time after AH 74 = AD 693/4 in an attempt to secure the border to the Byzantine Empire.
