Coins of 'Abd al-Malik
Type:
Coins
Date:
695–97
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Syria
Medium:
Gold
Dimensions:
Diameter of 1.8 to 1.9 cm
Description:
These two coins from 'Abd al-Malik, the fifth Umayyad caliph (r. 685–705), represent a moment of transition in Islam. They were minted in Damascus within twelve months of each other but are radically different from each other. In keeping with the Byzantine coins that had circulated in the city previously, the earlier coin has an image of the caliph. He stands in his robes and lays his right had on his sword. The later coin has no references to the caliph and no images whatsoever, only text. Its inscriptions include a message that is evidently anti-Christian in its denial of the Trinity: "God is one, God is the eternal, He did not beget and He was not begotten."
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
4
Repository and Online Resources:
• Listen to a podcast about these two gold coins of 'Abd al-Malik in the BBC series "A History of the World in 100 Objects."
• Read more on the coin with the figure of 'Abd al-Malik on the website of the British Museum.
• Read more on the on the coin with only text on the website of the British Museum.
Image Credits:
© Trustees of the British Museum
