LARGE ANONYMOUS SILVER DIRHAM______Umayyad Caliphate_______FIRST ISLAMIC DYNASTY

Description

18B44
FRASCATIUS ANCIENTS
A BEAUTIFUL ANONYMOUS SILVER DIRHAM OF THE UMAYYAD CALPHATE FROM 698 - 750 AD .
LARGE DIAMETER COIN MINTED WITH ALMOST PURE SILVER & IN EXCELLENT CONDITION FOR THE TYPE
Historians estimate the Umayyad Caliphate had a population of around 62 million people, which was nearly 30% of the world's population at the time.
THE SIZE IS 26.3 MM AND 2.86 GRAMS.
OBVERSE – FIELD SCRIPT - There is no diety except / (the one) God alone / He has no equal **** MARGIN SCRIPT - In the name of God. This dirham was struck in (mint city) in the year (mint date)
REVERSE - FIELD SCRIPT - God is one God / The eternal and indivisible, who has not begotten and / has not been begotten, and never is there / His equal **** MARGIN SCRIPT - Muhammad is the messenger of God. He sent him with guidance and the true religion to reveal it to all religions even if the polytheists abhor it.
UMAYYAD DIRHAMS
Abd al-Malik was the first to strike Umayyad dirhams and innovate them so that they included religious script. The reason for this innovation was that he [Abd al-Malik] ordered that paper shipments to the Romans be stamped with [a Koranic Aya] "qul huwa Allahu Ahad" and that mention the Prophet PBUH.
That displeased the Roman King who wrote back: "You have made certain innovations which if you don't rescind, you will find our Dinars struck with a mention of your prophet that will displease you." That was a threat that 'Abd al-Malik would not accept. He sent for Khalid bin Yazid bin Muawiyah to consult him. Khalid's council was: "Forbid their Dinars and strike a new coinage which mentions Allah". And thus the Umayyad Dirhams were struck.
THE UMAYYAD CALIPHATE
The Umayyad Caliphate was one of the most powerful and expansive of the Islamic Caliphates. It was also the first of the Islamic dynasties. This meant that the leader of the Caliphate, called the Caliph, was typically the son (or other male relative) of the previous Caliph.
The Umayyad Caliphate ruled the Islamic Empire from 661-750 AD. Muawiyah I established his capital in the city of Damascus where the Umayyads would rule the Islamic Empire for nearly 100 years. The Umayyad Caliphate was brought to an end in 750 AD when the Abbasids took control.
The Umayyad Caliphate expanded the Islamic Empire into one of the largest empires in the history of the world. At its peak, the Umayyad Caliphate controlled the Middle East, parts of India, much of North Africa, and Spain. Historians estimate the Umayyad Caliphate had a population of around 62 million people, which was nearly 30% of the world's population at the time.
The Umayyads modeled their government after the Byzantines (Eastern Roman Empire) who had previously ruled much of the land conquered by the Umayyads. They divided the empire into provinces that were each ruled by a governor appointed by the Caliph.
The Umayyads made several important contributions to the Islamic Empire. Many of their contributions had to do with unifying the large empire and the many cultures that were now part of the empire. These included creating a common coinage, establishing Arabic as the official language throughout the empire, and standardizing weights and measures. They also built some of the most revered buildings of Islamic history including the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.
As the empire expanded, unrest among the people and opposition to the Umayyads increased. Many Muslims felt that the Umayyads had become too secular and were not following the ways of Islam. Groups of people including the followers of Ali, non-Arab Muslims, and the Kharjites began to rebel causing turmoil in the empire. In 750, the Abbasids, a rival clan to the Umayyads, rose to power and overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate. They took control and formed the Abbasid Caliphate which would rule much of the Islamic world for the next several hundred years.
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