'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Mutawakkil, AH 232-247 / AD 847-861. Dirham (Silver, 23 mm, 3.00 g, 6 h), citing the caliph al-Mutawakkil ala Allah, Misr, AH 235 = AD 849/50. 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: bi-sm Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-dirham bi-Miṣr sanat khams wa thalāthīn wa miʾatayn (‘In the name of God, this dirham was struck in Misr in the year two hundred and thirty-five’ in Arabic). Outer margin: li-llāh al-amr min qablu wa min baʿd wa-yawmaʾidhin yafraḥ al-muʾminūn bi-naṣr Allāh (‘To God belongs the command before and after, and on that day the believers will rejoice in the help of God’ in Arabic). Rev. Central field, in five lines: li-llāh / Muḥammad / rasūl / Allāh / al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh (‘For God / Muḥammad / Messenger / of God / al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh’ in Arabic). Margin (Qurʾān 9:33): Muḥammad rasūl Allāh arsalahu bi-l-hudā wa-dīn al-ḥaqq li-yuẓhirahu ʿalā al-dīn kullihi wa-law kariha al-mushrikūn (‘Muḥammad is the Messenger of God, whom He sent with guidance and the religion of truth to make it prevail over all religion, even though the polytheists may dislike it’ in Arabic). Cf. Album 230.1 (for type). An extremely rare issue of great historical interest. The flan somewhat wavy and with a flan crack, otherwise, good very fine.



The attribution of this issue has long been debated, with earlier readings proposing the mint-name Makka rather than Miṣr. The latter reading is now generally regarded as more convincing on epigraphic grounds, though both attributions represent extremely rare Abbasid mint issues.

Dirhams of al-Mutawakkil from either Miṣr or Makka are of exceptional rarity within the silver coinage of the period, and the present specimen appears to be the only known example of this date from either mint. The issue is therefore of considerable importance for the study of provincial Abbasid mint activity during the mid-3rd century AH.