SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 29 March 2024, Friday |

UAE archeologists discover rare centuries-old coins from Abbasid Dynasty

Archeologists in the United Arab Emirates have discovered several old Islamic coins in the central region of Sharjah, consisting of rare silver dirhams dating back to the Abbasid Dynasty.

The coins bear the iconography of five caliphs from the period, Caliph Abu Jaafar al-Mansour, Caliph Mohamed al-Mahdi, Caliph Haroun al-Rashid, Caliph Mohamed al-Amin and Caliph Abu Jaafar Abdullah al-Maamoun, according to the team of archeologists at the Sharjah Archaeology Authority.

They also include a silver “dirham-link” of Lady Zubaida (Umm Jaafar), the wife of Haroun al-Rashid. A copper Abbasid fils was also found, state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday.

Dr Sabah Aboud Jasim, director-general of the Sharjah Archaeology Authority, said that the discovery confirms the early presence of the Abbasid Dynasty in the region, noting that some coins were found in an Abbasid-style pottery jar dating back to the 9th-10th Century AD.

The coins were minted in several geographical and administrative areas, during the years 154-199 of the Hijri period, AH, (late 8th to early 9th Century AD).

The discovery documents a pivotal period in the history of Sharjah and the UAE during the Abbasid Dynasty, highlighting the commercial activity that took place in the UAE and in Sharjah’s central region.

The coins, which traveled along several key trade routes to the Arabian Gulf and the UAE, confirm that the region was an important trading center during that period.

    Source:
  • alarabiya