Description

Likely minted around 1925 in either Shihara or Qaflat 'Idar, Yemen, using dies prepared in Italy, this AR 1/20 'Imadi Riyal Pattern coin is dated AH1322 (accession date).

Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din (1869–1948), also known as Imam Yahya, served as the inaugural king of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen from 1918 until his assassination in 1948. He ascended to the position of Imam of the Zaydis in 1904 following the passing of his father, Muhammad Al-Mansur, and later became the Imam of Yemen in 1918. Born on June 18, 1869, in Sanaa, he hailed from the Hamidaddin branch of the al-Qasimi dynasty, which had ruled over Yemen and parts of present-day Saudi Arabia for centuries. Despite challenges from the Ottoman Empire, Imam Yahya consolidated his rule over the mountainous regions of North Yemen, successfully resisting Ottoman claims after World War I. Known for his staunch isolationism, he never ventured beyond Yemen's borders and remained primarily in the Sanaa highlands throughout his reign, overlooking the Red Sea coastline of his kingdom.