Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz (Ibn Saud) 1/2 Qirsh

History

1/2 Qirsh 1925, KM# 2, Saudi Arabia, Abdulaziz (Ibn Saud)

Obverse. Photo © Auctiones

Description

Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (1875–1953), known in the West as Ibn Saud, was the founder and first king of Saudi Arabia, the "third Saudi state", reigning from 23 September 1932 to his death. He had ruled parts of the kingdom as early as 1902, having previously been the emir, sultan, and king of Nejd and the king of Hejaz.

He reconquered his family's ancestral home city of Riyadh in 1902, starting three decades of conquests that made him the ruler of nearly all of central and north Arabia. He consolidated his control over the Nejd in 1922, then conquered the Hejaz in 1925. He extended his dominions into what later became the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. As King, he presided over the discovery of petroleum in Saudi Arabia in 1938 and the beginning of large-scale oil production after World War II. He fathered many children, including 45 sons, and all of the subsequent kings of Saudi Arabia.

Obverse	Monogram, signature Tughra Depicts Tughra in Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman name, central design with al-Faisal Al Saud on the right and the king accession (first year of the rule) in Hejira (AH1343) below. A tughra (Ottoman Turkish: طغرا‎ tuğrâ) is a calligraphic monogram, seal or signature of a sultan that was affixed to all official documents and correspondence. It was also carved on his seal and stamped on the coins minted during his reign. Tughras served a purpose similar to the cartouche in ancient Egypt or the Royal Cypher of British monarchs. عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن بن الفيصل ال سعود سنة ١٣٤٣
Reverse	The legend "Struck in Umm al-Qura" in Arabic above and "Half Piaster" below. Mecca (officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah) is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia and the holiest city in Islam. Other names: Another name used for Mecca in the Quran is at 6:92 where it is called Umm al-Qurā (أُمّ ٱلْقُرَى‎, meaning "Mother of all Settlements"). The city has been called several other names in both the Quran and ahadith. Another name used historically for Mecca is Tihāmah. ضرب في أم القرى نصف قرش
Edge	Plain