Coin
Unknown Artist
dated A.H. 335/ 947 CE
Medium
Silver
Classification
Coins
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1939
Accession Number
39.40.127.172
Art Historical Context
This exquisite silver coin, minted in A.H. 335 (947 CE), offers a glimpse into the vibrant world of the 10th century. As a dirham—a standard silver currency unit—it circulated widely across the Abbasid Caliphate and its successor states, facilitating trade from the Mediterranean to Central Asia. Produced during a period of dynamic political shifts, including Buyid influence over Baghdad, such coins were not mere money but symbols of authority, bearing intricate Arabic inscriptions that affirmed the ruler's legitimacy and invoked divine protection. Crafted from high-purity silver, the coin sho...