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1/4 Mahmudi - Yahya
| Issuer | Sharifate of Mecca |
|---|---|
| Year | 1825 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 5.38 g |
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| Obverse description | Irregularly shaped hammered copper flan bearing a bold Arabic inscription in two lines across the field, reading 'ضرب مكه' (Struck in Mecca). The legend is rendered in a crude, deeply struck calligraphic style typical of early nineteenth-century Arabian hammered coinage. The flan exhibits irregular edges and surface patination consistent with prolonged circulation. No decorative border or ornamental devices are present. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | 1240 (1825) - ١٢۴۰ |
| Additional information |
The Sharifate of Mecca operated under Ottoman suzerainty but retained enough autonomous authority to issue its own copper fractional coinage for local circulation — a practical necessity given the chronic shortage of small-denomination currency throughout the Hejaz. This piece was struck under Yahya ibn Surur, whose tenure was itself a product of the Ottoman reassertion of control over the region following the destruction of the First Saudi State by Egyptian forces in 1818. The copper mahmudi fractions saw hard use in the markets surrounding the holy cities, and survivors in any decent state of preservation are genuinely scarce.