Harvard Art Museums > 1951.31.4.2300: Dinar of Abd al-Malik Coins Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Dinar of Abd al-Malik (Abd al-Malik I) , 1951.31.4.2300,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Nov 23, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/182592. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. 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 View this object's location on our interactive map 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 The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. 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
