Arabia. Rasulid. al-Mansur 'Umar I, AH 626-647 / AD 1229-1250. Fals (Bronze, 22 mm, 2.36 g, 12 h), citing the ʿAbbāsid caliph al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh, no mint, no date. Within three intersecting circles, in three lines: al-malik al- / Manṣūr / ʿUmar al-nāʾib (‘The King al- / Manṣūr / ʿUmar the deputy’ in Arabic). In the three corners: lā ilāha / illā / Allāh (‘There is no deity / except / God’ in Arabic). Rev. Within three intersecting circles, in three lines: al-aʾimma Abū / Bakr ʿUmar / ʿUthmān ʿAlī (the names of the four Rashidun caliphs in Arabic). In the three corners: al-imām / Abū / Jaʿfar (‘The Imam / Abū / Jaʿfar’ in Arabic). Album 1101. Cf. Zeno 141216. Extremely rare. Slightly cleaned and small deposits, otherwise, very fine.



This fascinating early Rasulid bronze issue was struck during the formative phase of Rasulid rule in Yemen, when al-Manṣūr ʿUmar ibn ʿAlī still held the title al-nāʾib (‘the deputy’ or ‘representative’). The appearance of this title is historically important because it indicates that the coin belongs to the early period of Rasulid authority in Yemen, before the dynasty emerged as fully independent rulers. During this phase, al-Manṣūr ʿUmar governed Yemen on behalf of the Ayyubid sultan al-Malik al-Kāmil Muḥammad of Egypt.

The coin’s unusual arrangement of three intersecting circles is among the most distinctive designs in early Rasulid numismatics and reflects the decorative geometric style characteristic of medieval Yemeni coinage. The reverse names the four Rashidun caliphs, Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī, emphasising Sunni religious legitimacy, while the corner inscriptions cite the Abbasid caliph al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh Abū Jaʿfar.

The use of the title al-nāʾib rather than fully sovereign royal titulature makes this issue especially important historically, illustrating the transitional stage between Ayyubid administration in Yemen and the establishment of an independent Rasulid state. Bronze issues of this early phase are extremely rare, particularly with clear readable inscriptions and such an unusual geometric design.