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1 Dirham - al-Layth b. 'Ali Fars
| Issuer | Saffarid dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 297 AH |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Reverse description | Central field displays a four-line Arabic Kufic inscription within a double-beaded inner circle, naming the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tadid Billah above the Saffarid amir Layth ibn Ali, subordinating the local ruler's authority to the caliphate in the customary hierarchical arrangement. The intermediate annular band carries a Quranic verse, and an outer marginal legend completes the reverse design. The coin exhibits characteristic hammered fabric with a slightly off-center strike and irregular flan edges consistent with eastern Islamic mint production of the late 3rd century AH. |
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| Additional information |
The Saffarids were originally a coppersmith's dynasty — Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar, the founder, rose from that trade to carve out an eastern Iranian empire through sheer military aggression, eventually threatening the Abbasid caliphate itself. By 297 AH, the dynasty had long since fractured into regional governors nominally acknowledging Baghdad while striking their own silver in the name of local amirs. Al-Layth b. 'Ali is among the more obscure of these late Saffarid figures attested primarily through coin evidence rather than chronicle sources.
Fars as a mint location places this squarely in the contested southwestern Persian territories where Saffarid authority was already eroding before the Samanid consolidation overwhelmed them entirely within a few years.