Obverse. Photo © Sixbid.com
  • 1 Dirham 798 AD, Egypt, Harun al-Rashid
  • 1 Dirham 798 AD, Egypt, Harun al-Rashid
Description

The Abbasid Caliphate (Arabic: الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from the prophet's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes its name. They ruled as caliphs for most of the caliphate from their capital in Baghdad in modern-day Iraq, after having overthrown the Umayyad Caliphate in the Abbasid Revolution of 750 CE (132 AH). The Abbasid Caliphate first centered its government in Kufa, modern-day Iraq, but in 762 the caliph Al-Mansur founded the city of Baghdad, near the ancient Babylonian capital city of Babylon. Baghdad became the center of science, culture and invention in what became known as the Golden Age of Islam. This, in addition to housing several key academic institutions, including the House of Wisdom, as well as a multiethnic and multi-religious environment, garnered it a worldwide reputation as the "Center of Learning".

Abu Ja'far Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi or Harun ibn al-Mahdi (c. 763 or 766 – 809), famously known as Harun al-Rashid was the fifth Abbasid caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, reigning from September 786 until his death. His reign is traditionally regarded to be the beginning of the Islamic Golden Age. His epithet "al-Rashid" translates to "the Orthodox", "the Just", "the Upright", or "the Rightly-Guided".

Portions of the fictional One Thousand and One Nights are set in Harun's court and some of its stories involve Harun himself. Harun's life and court have been the subject of many other tales, both factual and fictitious.

Obverse

Depicts the inscriptions in Arabic "Muhammad is the Messenger of God” and “He sent him with guidance and the true religion to make it victorious over every religion although those who associate others with God dislike it”, "Muhammad is the Messenger of God”, "According to the order of the Prince al-Amin Muhammad son of Commander of the Faithful" and "JAFAR" (Jafar ibn Yahya).

Jaʽfar ibn Yahya Barmaki, Jafar al-Barmaki (767–803) also called Aba-Fadl, was a Persian vizier of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid, succeeding his father (Yahya ibn Khalid) in that position. He was a member of the influential Barmakid family, formerly Buddhist leaders of the Nava Vihara monastery. Along with the rest of the Barmakids, he was executed in 803 at the orders of Harun al-Rashid.

He had a reputation as a patron of the sciences and did much to introduce Indian science into Baghdad. He was credited with convincing the caliph to open a paper mill in Baghdad, the secret of papermaking having been obtained from Tang Chinese prisoners at the Battle of Talas (in present-day Kyrgyzstan) in 751.

Jaʽfar also appears (under the name of Giafar in most translations) along with Harun al-Rashid in several Arabian Nights tales, often acting as a protagonist. In "The Three Apples" for example, Jaʽfar is tasked with solving a murder, whereas in "The Tale of Attaf", Jaʽfar is more of an adventurer.

محمد رسول الله ارسله بالهدى ودين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله
محمد رسول الله
مما امر به الأمير الأمين
محمد بن امير المؤمنين
جعفر

Reverse

Depicts the inscriptions in Arabic "In the name of God. This dirham was struck in Misr (Egypt) in the year 182" and “There is no god but God alone / He has no associate".

بسم الله ضرب هذا الدينار سنة اثنين و ثمنين و مئة
لا اله الا
الله وحده
لا شريك له

Edge
Characteristics
Material Silver
Weight 2.6 g
Diameter -
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Misr Mint

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