Coin
Unknown Artist
late 11th–early 13th century
Medium
Copper
Classification
Coins
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1939
Accession Number
39.40.127.280
Art Historical Context
This unassuming copper coin, minted in the late 11th to early 13th century, offers tangible glimpse into the vibrant Islamic world during a pivotal era. Crafted from durable copper—a common medium for everyday transactions—these coins circulated widely across regions from the Abbasid heartlands to the expanding Seljuk territories, facilitating trade along the Silk Road and beyond. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1939, it now resides in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Islamic Art department exemplifying the precision of medieval numismatic craftsmanship. In Islamic art, coins were more than ...