Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Islamic Auction 2 27 Oct 2022
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Umayyad Caliphate, Silver coinage. AR Dirham (25mm, 2.89 g, 2h). Al-Daybul mint. Dated AH 95/4 (AD 713/4). Klat 337. Pin marks in reverse field. Near EF. Extremely rare.
Al-Daybul was a port town on the coast of Sind. It was captured by the Muslims in AH 92 when al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf, Governor of the East, dispatched a force under Muhammad b. al-Qasim b. al-Thaqafi to address troublesome pirate activity in the region.
All known Umayyad dirhams from al-Daybul are dated AH 95. However, in the date legend on the present coin the unit khams, '5', has clearly been re-engraved on the die over arba', '4', demonstrating that the die had been prepared for use in the previous year. It is not clear whether any dirhams were in fact struck at al-Daybul in AH 94 - if so, these would be the earliest Islamic silver coins from the Indian sub-continent. Nevertheless, this coin provides important evidence for the establishment of a mint at al-Daybul a year earlier than was previously known.
Al-Daybul was a port town on the coast of Sind. It was captured by the Muslims in AH 92 when al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf, Governor of the East, dispatched a force under Muhammad b. al-Qasim b. al-Thaqafi to address troublesome pirate activity in the region.
All known Umayyad dirhams from al-Daybul are dated AH 95. However, in the date legend on the present coin the unit khams, '5', has clearly been re-engraved on the die over arba', '4', demonstrating that the die had been prepared for use in the previous year. It is not clear whether any dirhams were in fact struck at al-Daybul in AH 94 - if so, these would be the earliest Islamic silver coins from the Indian sub-continent. Nevertheless, this coin provides important evidence for the establishment of a mint at al-Daybul a year earlier than was previously known.