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The Abbasid Dynasty was an Arab family
legendarily descended from Abbas, the uncle of
Muhammad. The Abbasids held the caliphate
from 749 to 1258. Under the Umayyad caliphs
the Abbasids lived quietly until they became
involved in numerous disputes, beginning early
in the 8th cent. The family then joined with the
Shiite faction in opposing the Umayyads, and in
747 the gifted Abu Muslim united most of the
empire in revolt against the Umayyads. The head
of the Abbasid family became caliph as Abu al-
Abbas as-Saffah late in 749. Under the second
Abbasid caliph, called al-Mansur, the capital was
moved from Damascus to Baghdad, and Persian
influence grew strong in the empire. The early
years of Abbasid rule were brilliant, rising to true
splendor under Harun al-Rashid and to
intellectual brilliance under his son al-Mamun.
After less than a hundred years of rule, however,
the slow decline of the Abbasids began. Long
periods of disorder were marked by
assassinations, depositions, control by Turkish
soldiers, and other disturbances. In 836 the
capital was transferred to Samarra, remaining
there until 892. Under the later Abbasids, the
power of the caliphate became chiefly spiritual.
Many independent kingdoms sprang up, and the
empire split into autonomous units. The Seljuk
Turks came to hold the real power at Baghdad.
Later their power dwindled even further, and, in
1258, Baghdad was burned by the Tatars. From
then until 1517 the Abbasids retained limited
power as caliphs of Egypt.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether active currencies in the age we
live or artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise
of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail
that is often lacking in contemporary machine-
made currencies. This luminous gold dinar is a
historical testament to the birth of the Islam,
simultaneously reflecting the luxury and wealth
of the Abbasid Dynasty passed from the hands
of civilization to civilization, from generation to
generation.
- (KA.111)
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