ISLAMIC, Anatolia & al-Jazira (Post-Seljuk). Artuqids (Mardin). Najm al-Din Alpi, AH 547-572 / AD 1152-1176. Dirham (Bronze, 29 mm, 13.45 g, 7 h), uncertain mint (Mardin?). Large diademed male head to right; below, inverted laqab of Najm al-Din Alpi. Rev. Legend in Arabic in three lines, 'Malik al-umara / Abu al-Muzaffar / Alpi bin; Legend around in Arabic, 'Il-Ghazi / Timurtash bin / bin Artuq' (all in Kufic). Spengler & Sayles 27. Cleaning scratches and some deposits, otherwise, very fine.


The head on the obverse of this issue was copied from tetradrachms of the Seleukid King Antiochos VII (138-129 BC), who lived almost 1300 years before Najm al-Din Alpi. Time-wise, this is the equivalent of the portrait of the Byzantine emperor Leo III (717-741) appearing on a modern coin!