Morton & Eden Ltd
Auction 69 10 April 2014
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UMAYYAD, TEMP. 'ABD AL-MALIK B. MARWAN (65-86h)
Dirham, Tukharistan '8' (80h or 78h)
OBVERSE: In border: within beaded circle, four small pellets at cardinal points
In margin: within triple beaded circle, starting at 9 o'clock: bismillah duriba hadha al-dirham bi-Tukharistan fi sanat thaman (sic)
REVERSE: In border: within beaded circle, four small pellets at cardinal points
In margin: within single beaded circle, starting at 6 o'clock: Muhammad rasul Allah...
In field: within single beaded circle, Qur'an cxii (part), letter wa at beginning of third line
WEIGHT: 2.74g
REFERENCE: Mosanef, F. and M.T. Saffar, 'An Umayyad dirham of Tokharistan,' JONS 217 (Autumn 2013), p. 8, this piece
CONDITION: Very fine or better, historically important and of the highest rarity
NOTE: Tukharistan was the name of a large district to the east of the great city of Balkh, extending along the southern bank of the Oxus river as far as the mountains of Badakhshan, and stretching south as far as the mountain ranges north of Banjhir and Bamiyan. This Umayyad dirham is the only known coin from any dynasty with this mint-name.
According to Mosanef and Saffar, at the time of the Muslim conquests Tukharistan was ruled by a Sasanian governor. During the caliphate of 'Uthman (23-35h) the famous governor of Khurasan, 'Abdallah b. 'Amir, sent forces eastwards into Tukharistan under the command of Ahnaf b. Qays. Ahnaf soon captured Marw, and after defeating a large Sasanian army moved on to capture several towns before finally entering Balkh, where the two sides signed a peace treaty. Some years later Firuz, son of the last Sasanian king Yazdigerd III, invaded Tukharistan in an ill-fated attempt to restore Sasanian rule. He was defeated in 47h and fled to China, after which Tukharistan seems to have remained relatively peaceful for the next thirty years.
The next phase of eastward expansion began in 78h when al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf appointed Muhallab b. Abi Sufra to the governorship of Khurasan. Muhallab spent two years in Tukharistan while his son campaigned further east as far as Bukhara. Another decade of eastern conquests under Qutayba b. Muslim Bahili was to follow.
Although Mosanef and Saffar read the date on this coin as thamanin, 'eighty', it is in fact clearly thaman, 'eight'. This may be intended for thamanin as they suggest, but another possibility might be that the decade has been omitted for reasons of space and thaman wa saba'in, 'seventy-eight', was meant. This would coincide with the appointment of Muhallab b. Abi Sufra and so would fit equally well, if not better, with Mosanef and Saffar's historical account. The four pellets in the margins are unparalleled on other Umayyad dirhams and may also support the earlier date, since five annulets had become established as the standard pattern on coins of 79h and later.
Estimate: £50000 - 70000
Dirham, Tukharistan '8' (80h or 78h)
OBVERSE: In border: within beaded circle, four small pellets at cardinal points
In margin: within triple beaded circle, starting at 9 o'clock: bismillah duriba hadha al-dirham bi-Tukharistan fi sanat thaman (sic)
REVERSE: In border: within beaded circle, four small pellets at cardinal points
In margin: within single beaded circle, starting at 6 o'clock: Muhammad rasul Allah...
In field: within single beaded circle, Qur'an cxii (part), letter wa at beginning of third line
WEIGHT: 2.74g
REFERENCE: Mosanef, F. and M.T. Saffar, 'An Umayyad dirham of Tokharistan,' JONS 217 (Autumn 2013), p. 8, this piece
CONDITION: Very fine or better, historically important and of the highest rarity
NOTE: Tukharistan was the name of a large district to the east of the great city of Balkh, extending along the southern bank of the Oxus river as far as the mountains of Badakhshan, and stretching south as far as the mountain ranges north of Banjhir and Bamiyan. This Umayyad dirham is the only known coin from any dynasty with this mint-name.
According to Mosanef and Saffar, at the time of the Muslim conquests Tukharistan was ruled by a Sasanian governor. During the caliphate of 'Uthman (23-35h) the famous governor of Khurasan, 'Abdallah b. 'Amir, sent forces eastwards into Tukharistan under the command of Ahnaf b. Qays. Ahnaf soon captured Marw, and after defeating a large Sasanian army moved on to capture several towns before finally entering Balkh, where the two sides signed a peace treaty. Some years later Firuz, son of the last Sasanian king Yazdigerd III, invaded Tukharistan in an ill-fated attempt to restore Sasanian rule. He was defeated in 47h and fled to China, after which Tukharistan seems to have remained relatively peaceful for the next thirty years.
The next phase of eastward expansion began in 78h when al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf appointed Muhallab b. Abi Sufra to the governorship of Khurasan. Muhallab spent two years in Tukharistan while his son campaigned further east as far as Bukhara. Another decade of eastern conquests under Qutayba b. Muslim Bahili was to follow.
Although Mosanef and Saffar read the date on this coin as thamanin, 'eighty', it is in fact clearly thaman, 'eight'. This may be intended for thamanin as they suggest, but another possibility might be that the decade has been omitted for reasons of space and thaman wa saba'in, 'seventy-eight', was meant. This would coincide with the appointment of Muhallab b. Abi Sufra and so would fit equally well, if not better, with Mosanef and Saffar's historical account. The four pellets in the margins are unparalleled on other Umayyad dirhams and may also support the earlier date, since five annulets had become established as the standard pattern on coins of 79h and later.
Estimate: £50000 - 70000