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House of Emirates® in London is thrilled to offer its elite clientele this extraordinary early Abbasid silver dirham, issued during the reign of Abu al-Abbas Abdullah ibn Muhammad, famously known as Al-Saffah, the founder and first caliph of the Abbasid dynasty. Struck at the historic mint of al-Kufa in 132 AH (749–750 AD), this remarkable coin belongs to the very first year of Abbasid sovereignty, marking one of the most consequential turning points in the history of the Islamic world.
Weighing 2.8 grams and measuring 24 mm in diameter, this authentic early Islamic silver coin is a tangible witness to the birth of a new caliphate.
The year 132 AH was a year of extraordinary upheaval. For nearly a century, the Umayyad dynasty had governed the vast Islamic empire, extending its authority from the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the distant territories of Central Asia in the east. Yet, during its final decades, political rivalries, provincial dissatisfaction, military conflicts and competing claims to religious and political legitimacy weakened the dynasty.
The last Umayyad caliph, Marwan II, struggled to preserve his authority against the revolutionary movement organised by the Abbasid family and supported by powerful forces from Khurasan. Under the leadership of Abu Muslim al-Khurasani, the Abbasid movement gathered momentum, defeating Umayyad forces and advancing into Iraq. In 132 AH, the Abbasid army captured al-Kufa, and Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah was proclaimed caliph, establishing the new dynasty. Marwan II continued his resistance until his defeat and death in Egypt in 750 AD.
This was not merely a change of rulers. It marked the beginning of a new political era, eventually associated with extraordinary developments in scholarship, architecture, commerce, science and culture throughout the Islamic world.
Al-Kufa was far more than an ordinary provincial city. Founded during the early Islamic conquests, it had developed into one of Iraq’s most important military, administrative, religious and commercial centres. Its great congregational mosque was a focal point of public life, political announcements and religious gatherings.
In 132 AH, the city found itself at the very heart of the Abbasid Revolution. Revolutionary commanders, Khurasani soldiers, political organisers and members of the Abbasid family converged upon it. Allegiances were changing, the old administration was collapsing, and the foundations of a new government were being established.
The proclamation of Al-Saffah in Kufa transformed the city’s historical position. For a period, it served as the first political centre of the Abbasid regime, attracting officials, soldiers and supporters from across the empire. This atmosphere of transition gives a silver dirham struck in Kufa during that extraordinary year a particularly compelling historical significance.
This exceptional Silver Abbasid Dirham follows the elegant epigraphic tradition of early Islamic silver coinage, featuring carefully arranged Kufic Arabic inscriptions without figurative portraits.
The obverse carries the Islamic declaration of faith, affirming the oneness of God, surrounded by the mint and date inscription identifying al-Kufa and the year 132 AH. The reverse bears the declaration that Muhammad is the Messenger of God, together with the traditional Quranic inscription associated with the Abbasid-era silver dirham design.
Its calligraphy, circular borders and characteristic early Islamic engraving preserve the artistic language of a formative period in Islamic monetary history.
An authentic silver witness to the birth of the Abbasid dynasty, this remarkable dirham connects its owner to the dramatic final days of Umayyad sovereignty and the dawn of a new chapter in Islamic civilisation.
