Coin
Unknown Artist
dated A.H. 375/ 985 CE
Medium
Silver
Classification
Coins
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1939
Accession Number
39.40.127.84
Art Historical Context
This exquisite silver coin, struck in A.H. 375 (985 CE), offers a tangible glimpse into the vibrant Islamic world of the late 10th century. a dirham—a standard silver currency—it circulated across vast trade networks from the Abbasid heartlands to the edges of the Indian Ocean, facilitating commerce in spices, textiles, and ideas. Minted during a dynamic era of caliphal authority and regional dynasties like the Buyids and Samanids, such coins served not just as money but as portable proclamations of faith and power. Crafted using die-striking techniques, the coin's obverse and reverse likely ...