1 Fals - Jahwar ibn Marrar al-'ljli
138 (755) year| Copper | 2.66 g | 23 mm |
| Issuer | City of Al-Rayy (Abbasid rebels) |
|---|---|
| General | Jahwar ibn al-Marrar (755-756) |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Year | 138 (755) |
| Calendar | Islamic (Hijri) |
| Value | 1 Fals (1⁄60) |
| Currency | Dinar (628/632-1598) |
| Composition | Copper |
| Weight | 2.66 g |
| Diameter | 23 mm |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Hammered |
| Demonetized | Yes |
| Updated | 2024-10-05 |
| Numista | N#388698 |
|---|---|
| Rarity index | 100% |
Reverse
Script: Arabic
Edge
Plain.
Comment
From the auction:
“Jahwar ibn Marrar al-'ljli was an Abbasid commander sent to Rayy by the Caliph Al-Mansur to suppress the rebellion of a Zoroastrian nobleman named Sunpadh. The general quickly defeated the local insurgency, but he himself then turned against the Caliph and seized the treasures he had captured from the rebels for his own army. Al-Mansur reacted to this blatant treachery by sending out an even larger army under the command of one of his most loyal supporters, Muhammad Ibn al-Ash'-ath, a brilliant general who would later become the Abbasid governor of Damascus and of Egypt. It is at this time that the hard-pressed Jahwar started issuing his own coins, but he was quickly expelled from Rayy by Muhammad and killed soon thereafter. The coinage of Jahwar ibn Marrar al-'ljli is hence of extreme rarity today, and this is only the second example to appear in a public sale in the last two decades.”
Interesting fact
One interesting fact about this coin is that it was issued during a time of great political turmoil in the Abbasid Caliphate, with the rebels in the city of Al-Rayy minting their own coins as a symbol of their independence and defiance against the ruling caliphate. Despite the coin's small denomination, it represents a significant moment in the history of the Islamic world.