Abbasid Caliphate, Silver Dirham

These silver dirhams were struck by the Abbasid Caliphate, a Middle Eastern empire that was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Though no specific ruler's name is present on the coins, each was usually inscribed with the Islamic year in which it was minted.

Due to an Islamic tradition against producing many types of images, these coins don't show the portrait of a ruler or any deity—rather, both sides of the coin show only the date, name of the current ruler, and religious declarations in Kufic script (a style of Arabic).

However, the aversion of images should not be confused with a lack of culture—the Abbasid Caliphate is synonymous with the Golden Age of Islam, a period in which science, culture, and invention flourished that ended with the Mongol invasion in 1258. Though the caliphate still existed in a limited capacity until 1517, the days of extraordinary cultural advancement had long since ended.

Each includes a Certificate of Authenticity.