ISLAMIC, Umayyad Caliphate. temp. Yazid I ibn Mu'awiya, AH 60-64 / AD 680-683. Fals (Bronze, 21 mm, 4.56 g, 4 h), Arab-Byzantine type, 'Pseudo-Damascus' mint. Imperial figure seated on throne facing, holding long cross in his right hand and globus cruciger in his left; in field to left, stylized bird on T-shaped porch. Rev. Large M in center; above, monogram; below, inverted crescent; in exergue, AM[...]; to left, AN; to right, cross above horizontal T. Goodwin&Gyselen p. 80, 110 (for reverse). Rare. Patina stripped and with some doubling, otherwise, about very fine.



Falconry played an important role within the Umayyad culture: it was a favorite pastime of the ruling elite and a symbol of high status, and it is said that Yazid I ibn Mu'awiya, the son and successor of Mu'awiya I ibn Abi Sufyan, even had separate houses built for his beloved falcons.