ABBASID Al-Mustansir dirham 639 AH (1241 AD) Madinat Al Salaam mint

Description

Al-Mustansir was the next to last Abbasid caliph. In his time the caliphs had military control only of Baghdad and environs. He established Mustansiriya Madrasa, now the eponymous University. His son succeeded him and was killed by the Mongols.

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.