Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Islamic Auction 1 25 May 2022
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Ikhshidids. Muhammad al-Ikhshid. AH 323-334 / AD 935-946. AR Medallic Dirham (24.5mm, 3.28g, 8h). Without mint-name. Dated AH 332 / AD 943/4. Obverse margin: la ilaha illa Allah Muhammad rasul Allah. Obverse field: lillah / al-Muttaqi / lillah. Reverse margin: bismillah duriba sanat ithnayn wa thalathin wa thalath mi'at. Reverse field: billah / al-Ikhshid / al-nasir. Unpublished. Broken in half and repaired, some staining, otherwise Good VF. Apparently unique.
This presentation coin was probably struck to mark the military successes of Muhammad b. Tughj, who is named here with the title 'al-Ikhshid.' The caliph al-Muttaqi had fled to the Hamdanid court in AH 331, but found himself compelled to retreat to Raqqa after fighting broke out between the Hamdanids and the forces of the mamluk Tuzun. From Raqqa, al-Muttaqi wrote seeking aid from Muhammad b. Tughj, who set out from Egypt in Ramadan of 332 AH. Marching through Syria, he successfully recaptured a number of cities which had previously fallen under Hamdanid control, before finally meeting al-Muttaqi early in AH 333.
This presentation coin was probably struck to mark the military successes of Muhammad b. Tughj, who is named here with the title 'al-Ikhshid.' The caliph al-Muttaqi had fled to the Hamdanid court in AH 331, but found himself compelled to retreat to Raqqa after fighting broke out between the Hamdanids and the forces of the mamluk Tuzun. From Raqqa, al-Muttaqi wrote seeking aid from Muhammad b. Tughj, who set out from Egypt in Ramadan of 332 AH. Marching through Syria, he successfully recaptured a number of cities which had previously fallen under Hamdanid control, before finally meeting al-Muttaqi early in AH 333.