ABBASID Al-Amin dirham 199 AH (815 AD) Madinat Al Salaam

Description

Al-Amin was not the oldest son of Caliph Al-Rashid, but was higher ranked than his older half-brother, who later became Caliph too, with his brother as designated heir. The two did not get along, but they cooperated in the business of governing the Empire for a couple of years while they both prepared for the civil war they both wanted. Al-Amin lost and his brother became Caliph. Four years.

The Abbasid revolution was a response to the nepotic corruption of the Umayyad government, which annoyed the disfavored elements of society to the extent that rich and poor united to throw the bums out. As always in that era the complaints were couched in religious terms, but it was about bad government.

The term “Islamic coins” refers to coins made by Muslim governments from the time of the first caliphs to an end point in time that varies with the particular country being considered, but is generally some time from the 17th to 19th century. There is a geographic exclusion: India and points east are generally considered separately. The main reference used here is “Checklist of Islamic Coins,” by Stephen Album.