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Gallery Text

Following the Prophet Muhammad’s example, the Islamic polity, or caliphate, was ruled by a political and religious leader titled the caliph, or “successor” to the Prophet. Muslims eventually developed a monarchic system for controlling the succession of caliphs. The four centuries of the early Islamic era witnessed the establishment—and unraveling—of the universal caliphates of the Umayyad (661–750) and Abbasid (750–1258) dynasties.

The range of the objects in this case illustrates the Islamic empire’s rapid expansion and the assimilation of peoples and artistic practices. A hot-worked glass vessel and a green-glazed pottery cup demonstrate continuity with late Roman traditions, while the figural imagery and inscriptions on tenth-century polychrome pottery vessels from eastern Iran underscore the continued vitality of pre-Islamic cultural traditions there. The creation of coinage bearing only inscriptions at the turn of the seventh century signals the unprecedented stature that Arabic calligraphy acquired, as the script itself became a symbol of the faith. Arabic inscriptions decorating ceramics produced in Central Asia proclaim the owner’s literacy and Muslim identity.

The Umayyad caliph ʿAbd al-Malik (r. 685–705) declared Arabic the administrative language of the Islamic polity and revolutionized the appearance of Islamic coinage, replacing figural imagery with epigraphy. The text included a variant on the Muslim profession of faith and verses from the Qurʾan to refute the Christian Trinity. The coins reflect the increasing centrality of the Qurʾan as a source of authority and Muslim identity, and the caliph’s imperial ambition of confronting the Christian empire of Byzantium.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1951.31.4.2300
People
Abd al-Malik I, Arab (r. 685-705)
Title
Dinar of Abd al-Malik
Classification
Coins
Work Type
coin
Date
701-702
Period
Umayyad period
Culture
Arab
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/182592

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2550, Art from Islamic Lands, The Middle East and North Africa
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Physical Descriptions

Medium
Gold
Metal
AV
Dimensions
4.31 g
Die Axis
5
Denomination
dinar

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Thomas Whittemore, Cambridge, MA, (by 1951), bequest; to Fogg Art Museum, 1951.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore
Accession Year
1951
Object Number
1951.31.4.2300
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The creation of coinage bearing only inscriptions at the turn of the seventh century signals the unprecedented stature that Arabic calligraphy acquired, as the script itself became a symbol of the faith.
The Umayyad caliph ʿAbd al-Malik (r. 685–705) declared Arabic the administrative language of the Islamic polity and revolutionized the appearance of Islamic coinage, replacing figural imagery with epigraphy. The text included a variant on the Muslim profession of faith and verses from the Qurʾan to refute the Christian Trinity. The coins reflect the increasing centrality of the Qurʾan as a source of authority and Muslim identity, and the caliph’s imperial ambition of confronting the Christian empire of Byzantium.

This coin is dated 82 H. (701-702).

Publication History

  • Mary McWilliams and Jochen Sokoly, Social Fabrics: Inscribed Textiles from Medieval Egyptian Tombs, exh. cat. (Cambridge, MA, February 22, 2022), p. 20, fig. 3

Exhibition History

  • The Continuous Stroke of a Breath: Calligraphy from the Islamic World, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 12/20/2003 - 07/18/2004
  • 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu