I recently purchased this Islamic coin and I even checked it with Stephen Album and they couldn't make out what it was.They hinted that it was Samanid or Ghaznavid and may possibly be a multiple dirham.It is 40mm but I was unable to get the weight because it is wafer thin and really light.
I would greatly appreciate if anyone here could perhaps shed further light on this.
Hi deuterium_1
I agree on the way to Samanid or Ghaznavids.
Unfortunately this coin is very worn out and therefore unrecognizable.
The diameter in fact (40mm) is very large compared to the standard of a normal Dirham.
I could vent two hypotheses:
1° Samanid AR Heavy Dirham ( or multiple dirham), Nuh bin Nasr, Kura Badakhshan mint, no date, governor al- Harith (But unfortunately we do not know the weight of your coin)
2° Ghaznavid AR Large Dirham, Mahmud as Yamin al-Dawla in the name of Caliph al-Qadir; Governor Balkatekin. (Large Dirhams of this type were produced near the mines of Hindu Kush for a few years after Mahmud declare his independence of the Samanids.)
Your best clues are the word at top on obverse and the weight. The word may be Qal'at ('fortress") and either part of the mint name proper or an epithet referring to the mint. The two longer lines immediately below are the Kalima in two lines: la ilah illa Allah / wadahu la sherikh lahu, a less-common arrangement intended to leave room for multiple names and/or titles below. The weight will tell you whether the coin is indeed a multiple or simply broad and thin.
Citeer: "dltcoins"Your best clues are the word at top on obverse and the weight. The word may be Qal'at ('fortress") and either part of the mint name proper or an epithet referring to the mint. The two longer lines immediately below are the Kalima in two lines: la ilah illa Allah / wadahu la sherikh lahu, a less-common arrangement intended to leave room for multiple names and/or titles below. The weight will tell you whether the coin is indeed a multiple or simply broad and thin.
Perhaps it says Qurat Badakhshan? which would be mean it was a Samanid coin struck by Nuh I.
Kura is كورة (kurä) . The word on your coin appears to be qal'at قلعة (ql'ä). Is the coppery color on the obverse toning or copper showing through a silvered surface?
Citeer: "dltcoins"Kura is كورة (kurä) . The word on your coin appears to be qal'at قلعة (ql'ä). Is the coppery color on the obverse toning or copper showing through a silvered surface?
It is on the obverse side, why would there be copper on it though?
Citeer: "simoneo80"I more inclined for Samanid coin
1° Samanid AR Heavy Dirham ( or multiple dirham), Nuh bin Nasr, Kura Badakhshan mint, no date, governor al- Harith
regarding the copper color these coins are not pure silver, in this case it could be probably simple ground or light oxidation
Thanks :D
I wish there was a way to restore it and make it more presentable but that would probably damage such a wafer thin coin.
The Khwarezmshahs, Qarakhanids and others in Central Asia issued so-called "broad dirhams" which were very broad, very thin and struck in silvered billon. If the coin is as "wafer thin" as you say, it can not be a multiple dirham which is thick and heavy. Without the weight, we're really just guessing.
Citeer: "dltcoins"The Khwarezmshahs, Qarakhanids and others in Central Asia issued so-called "broad dirhams" which were very broad, very thin and struck in silvered billon. If the coin is as "wafer thin" as you say, it can not be a multiple dirham which is thick and heavy.
Billon would explain the green spots because of the trace amounts of copper
It is so wafer thin that I am worried that I might break it so I handle it very carefully.
It could be Khwarezmian, Qarakhanid or another Central Asian dynasty then?
I think that is a reasonable direction to pursue. Look at this item (it's not exactly the same so don't get too excited), it has the word qal'a (Qal'a Nay mint) above the obverse, like yours, and the same unusual arrangement of the kalima below:
Note this specimen and the illustrated example of the single dirham in Tye (#306) both have a full Qal'a Nay unlike yours which only has Qal'a. Still, it is an intriguing clue.
I think you're one the right track now. I will correct my reading of the second long line, however. It's most likely Muhammad rassul Allah. What can be read then is:
قلعة
لا اله الا الله
محمد رسول الله
It's possible that the second half of the mint name (Nay), if it is indeed Qal'a Nay, is at the bottom. You might try poking around on Zeno under the Khwarizmshahs. 'Ala al-Din Muhammad in particular issued a bewildering variety of coins. I saw one comment noting that the weight varied greatly on some of his "broad dirhams", making some of the lightest specimens quite thin. Good luck!
In fact it is a bit like pulling at random, I agree to look between Khwarizmshahs coins..it will not be a simple task, given the conditions of the coin.
