Umayyad Caliphate. Uncertain period (post-reform), circa AH 80s / CE 700s. Fals (Bronze, 22 mm, 3.61 g, 7 h), Baysān (Beit She'an), no date. Within three circular borders, central field in three lines: lā ilāha / illā Allāh / waḥdahū (‘There is no deity / except God / alone’ in Arabic). Rev. Central field, in three lines: Muḥammad / rasūl / Allāh (‘Muhammad is the Messenger of God’ in Arabic), with a pellet to the left of Allāh; in margin: bi-sm Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-fals fī Baysān (‘In the name of God, this fals was struck in Baysān’ in Arabic); all within one circular border. Album 170. Jeselsohn IV 189 var. (pellets on the obverse). SNA Tübingen IVc 261 (same dies). Walker p. 240. Rare. Deposits and flan faults on the edge, otherwise, very fine.



Baysān, modern Beit She’an, was one of the historic cities of northern Filastin, commanding the routes between the Jordan Valley, the Jezreel Valley and the Galilee.

Unlike the great silver mints, these bronze mints are often represented by only a handful of types, making each clear specimen valuable for reconstructing the monetary geography of the early Islamic southern Levant. The present coin is especially desirable for its readable mint-name Baysān.