1833.] Cabinet of the Asiatic Society. 39 
Muhammedan Coinage of Persia. 
To complete the sketch of Persian coins, it seems necessary to offer a 
few brief remarks on the coinage of the Muhammedan powers which suc- 
seeded the Sassanian dynasty, 
At the period of the promulgation of the religion of Muhammed, the 
money of the lower Roman empire was current in all the neighbouring 
countries, and it was not untilthe Khalifat of Abd-ul-malek, in the year 
of the Hejra 76 (a. p. 695), according to Marsden, that a distinct coinage 
was instituted with a view of superseding the currency of Greek, or 
Byzantine, and Persian, gold and silver. 
The circumstances that led to this event are thus detailed by the 
Arabian writers. —‘‘ The Khalif having adhered to the practice of com- 
mencing his epistles, addressed to the Greek Emperor, with the Mus- 
sulman formulary sentence, declaring the unity of the Godhead, and the 
ministry of the prophet; the Christian monarch took offence at what 
appeared to him an insult, and threatened that if it were persisted in, 
he should retaliate by introducing into the inscriptions on his coinage, 
with a view toits being circulated throughout the dominions of the for- 
mer, words not likely to be acceptable to the professors of Islamism*.” 
This impolitic contention produced the effect that might have been 
expected, and Abd-ul-malek determined to be beforehand with him in 
blazoning the creed of the faithful upon a new coin of his own fabrica- 
tion, and he procured the ablest artisans from Damascus to cut the 
dies. Many of the first Muhammedans were however scandalized at al- 
lowing the sacred name of God to be profaned by the contact of impure 
hands. 
The names of the Arabic pieces of money are uniformly inserted in 
their marginal legend, and are all taken from the coins of the lower Roman 
empire. Thus the copper piece was called us felus from follis ; the 
silver eo dirhem, from drachma, and the gold coin yess dinar, from 
denarius, which though properly a silver coin, was used generally to 
denote coins of other metals, as the denarius eris and the denarius auri, 
or aureus. 
The Society’s cabinet does not possess any of the early Muhammedan 
coins; but one brought by Lieut. Conolly from Persia (fig. 16, Pl. IT.) 
will serve as a general specimen of all those of the Ommiah and Abbas 
Khalifs. They contain the date and place of fabrication, but not the 
name of the prince. The coins of the Samanian dynasty in Persia dif- 
fer but little in appearance; but they bear the name of the sovereign 
under that of the prophet. The Sultans of the Seljuk dynasty, who 
* Marsden’s Numismata Orientalia xvi. 
