ABBASID Al-Rashid 786-809 AD silver dirham 183 AH Balkh mint

Description

Harun Al-Rashid, the fifth Abbasid Caliph, was the son of Al-Mahdi, the third Caliph. He succeeded his brother, Al-Hadi, who had died after 2 years of rule. Al-Rashid was a good administrator. He got into a tiff with the Byzantines, which led to a war, which he won. There was also an alliance with China against Tibet. There was disaffection in several provinces at various times. He died on the way to the east to contend with a rebellion.

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.