Public Numismatic Auction #8

THE BEGINNING OF ISLAM : THE ONLY REPRESENTATION OF THE PRAYING CALIPH ON A PRECIOUS METAL COIN. Bishr b. Marwan, AH 73-75 (692-694). Drachme AH 75 (694), Basra. Buste sassanide couronné d'un casque ailé à droite. Inscription marginale "bism Allah Muhammad rasul Allah " / Le calife debout de face, priant, entouré de deux personnages debout. 3,92g. A 27.1 ; Shams Eshragh - ; SIC Ashmolean 107. Une exceptionnelle iconographie de l'Islam. Superbe.
Bishr b. Marwan was the brother of the caliph 'Abd al-Malik b. Marwan. It is therefore hardly surprising that he was actively involved in his brother's attempts at a monetary reform. Bishr b. Marwan is the only governor to have issued silver coins depicting the caliph at prayer. The coin remains very similar to the Sassanian design in its overall appearance, but its religious, symbolic and political import is huge. This type, known as "the praying caliph", was struck in al-Kufa from AH 73 to 75 and in al-Basra in AH 75 only. Its great rarity is due to the general monetary reform introduced by the caliph just a few years later. The base of the earth power of the caliph was the power of God : This coin emphasizes the link between both.