ISLAMIC – EARLY POST-REFORM Umayyad Caliphate Hisham ibn ʿAbd al-Malik (AH 105–125 / AD 724–743) Silver (AR) Dirham Mint: Dimashq (Damascus, Syria) Date: AH 111 (AD 729/730) Weight: 2.89 g Diameter: 27 mm Condition: Very Fine Reference: Album 137 ________________________________________ Description Obverse: Central inscription in three lines: “There is no deity but God alone; He has no partner.” Marginal inscription: “In the name of God, this dirham was struck in Damascus in the year 111.” ________________________________________ Reverse: Central inscription (Qurʾān 112): “God is One, God the Eternal. He neither begets nor is born, and there is none equal to Him.” Marginal inscription (Qurʾān 9:33): “Muhammad is the Messenger of God. He sent him with guidance and the religion of truth to make it prevail over all religions, even though the polytheists may dislike it.” ________________________________________ Historical Background This silver dirham was struck in AH 111 (AD 729/730) at Damascus, the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate. During the reign of Hisham ibn ʿAbd al-Malik, the empire remained vast and administratively sophisticated, with Damascus serving as its political and economic center. Coins such as this reflect the standardized Islamic coinage system, emphasizing religious inscriptions and circulating widely across the caliphate.