temp. al-Saffah, ‘Abbasid Caliph AH 132-136/AD 749-754

SICA-3, 4ff; A 210, Extremely Fine

Mintless early type. Kalima at center, Qur’an 9:33 in margin; Reverse, continuation of the Kalima, Muhammad / rassul / Allah (“Muhammad is the apostle of Allah”), date formula in margin. All ‘Abbasid dinars were struck without a mint name until year 198 and many remained “mintless“ as late as 212. ‘Abbasid dinars can not be assigned to a mint or even a region until year 170, after which many can be assigned to either a mint in Eqypt or one in Iraq, likely Madinat al-Salam (Baghdad). From AH 215 onward, virtually all ‘Abbasid dinars bear a mint name.

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Al-Saffah (AH 132-136/ AD 749-754) was the first ‘Abbasid caliph. The ‘Abbasids came to power with the help of Persian forces who resented the pro-Arab policies of the Umayyads. The center of power shifted eastward under the ‘Abbasid Caliphate with the capital moving from Damascus to Baghdad.