Obverse. Photo © Sixbid.com
  • 1 Dirham 815-828 AD, Album# 223.4, Egypt, Al-Ma'mun
  • 1 Dirham 815-828 AD, Album# 223.4, Egypt, Al-Ma'mun
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 al-Abbas Abdallah ibn Harun al-Rashid (786–833), better known by his regnal name Al-Ma'mun, was the seventh Abbasid caliph, who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. He succeeded his half-brother al-Amin after a civil war, during which the cohesion of the Abbasid Caliphate was weakened by rebellions and the rise of local strongmen; much of his domestic reign was consumed in pacification campaigns. Well-educated and with a considerable interest in scholarship, al-Ma'mun promoted the Translation Movement, the flowering of learning and the sciences in Baghdad, and the publishing of al-Khwarizmi's book now known as "Algebra". He is also known for supporting the doctrine of Mu'tazilism and for imprisoning Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the rise of religious persecution (mihna), and for the resumption of large-scale warfare with the Byzantine Empire.

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”, "Holder of the two ministries, ministry and army together during al-Ma'mun era", "Muhammad is the Messenger of God" and "al-Fadl".

Abu l-Abbas al-Fadl ibn Sahl ibn Zadhanfarukh al-Sarakhsi, titled Dhu 'l-Ri'āsatayn ("the man of the two headships"), was a famous Persian vizier of the Abbasid era in Khurasan, who served under Caliph al-Ma'mun (r. 813–832). He played a crucial role in the civil war between al-Ma'mun and his brother al-Amin (r. 809–813) and was the vizier of the Abbasid Caliphate until 817.

On 13 February 818, Fadl was mysteriously found dead in a bathroom in Sarakhs, in northern Khurasan. According to various reports, he was circa 41–60 years old when he died. According to some rumors, the caliph himself had ordered his assassination. Within a short time later Ali Al-Ridha also died. Most modern historians agree that it was al-Ma'mun who ordered the death of both men, despite his deep friendship and solidarity to them (with whom he was related by marriage), politics and the unity of the caliphate. Fadl was seen as a dynamic, sometimes violent and authoritarian politician, but was not selfish or greedy.

محمد رسول الله ارسله بالهدى ودين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله
ذو الرياستين
محمد
رسول
الله
الفضل

Reverse

Depicts the inscriptions in Arabic and "In the name of God, This dirham was struck in the year 199", “There is no god but God alone / He has no associate", "Al Muttalib".

Muttalib ibn Abdallah ibn Malik al-Khuza'i was a son of the Abbasid general and administrator Abdallah ibn Malik al-Khuza'i. During the civil war between al-Amin and al-Ma'mun, he sided with the latter.

In 811, he administered the oath of allegiance (bay'ah) to al-Ma'mun for Mosul, and was named governor of Egypt briefly in 813 and again from 814 to 816. In 817, however, after al-Ma'mun chose the Alid Ali al-Rida as his heir, Muttalib joined the uprising in Baghdad against al-Ma'mun, and even administered the oath to the city's rival Caliph, Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi.

بسم الله ضرب هذا الدرهم سنة تسع و تسعون و مئة
لا اله الا
الله وحده
لا شريك له
المطلب

Edge
Characteristics
Material Gold
Fineness 0.833
Weight 4.6 g
Diameter 18 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Misr Mint

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