'Abbasid Caliphate. temp. Al-Rashid. AH 170-193 / AD 786-809. AR Half-Dirham (19.9mm, 1.55 g, 2h). San‘a mint. Dated AH 183 (AD 799/800). Good VF.

CNG Islamic Auction 3
Lot: 89. Estimated: $ 2 500

‘Abbasid Caliphate, Silver

Sold For $ 3 000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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'Abbasid Caliphate. temp. Al-Rashid. AH 170-193 / AD 786-809. AR Half-Dirham (19.9mm, 1.55 g, 2h). San‘a mint. Dated AH 183 (AD 799/800). Obverse: six large annulets in outer margin / Reverse: Hammad - Barbar above and below field. Cf. SICA 10, 213 (dated AH 185); cf. Lowick 546 (apparently without the name of Hammad Barbari); cf. Album 1048.2 (full dirhams of this type). Good VF. Extremely rare, especially in this condition.

Hammad al-Barbari was originally a slave of the caliph Harun al-Rashid, who was freed when Harun became caliph. His cognomen al-Barbari refers to his Berber heritage, and he was reportedly born in Tunis.

Al-Tabari reports that Hammad al-Barbari held the governorship of Mecca and the Yemen in AH 184, but the present coin, which appears to be unpublished, supports Ya‘qub’s statement that he had in fact been appointed to this post some five years previously. Dirhams were struck at San‘a in AH 180 which name ‘Abdallah b. Mus‘ab (SICA 10, 212), but while Lowick records dirhams from San‘a for the years AH 181-184, these either lacked governors’ names or were too poorly preserved for these to be legible. Nevertheless, the present coin confirms that Hammad was certainly in post by AH 183, and the numismatic evidence is consistent with Ya ‘qubi’s assertion that his appointment took place circa AH 180.

Al-Barbari held the governorship of Mecca and Yemen for some thirteen years. During his long tenure he successfully maintained order in the region and kept its important trade routes secure, but his rule was noted for its harshness and cruelty, so that the Yemenis petitioned Harun al-Rashid to remove Hammad from office. Nevertheless, it seems that al-Barbari remained in post and in favour until the end of Harun’s caliphate, since we hear of him attending the caliph at court in Baghdad early in the year AH 192 (it seems that a temporary governor took charge in Yemen during his absence), while he is still named on coins issued at San‘a in AH 193.

Hammad al-Barbari’s son, Muhammad, served as a military commander to al-Amin during the civil war which followed Harun al-Rashid’s death.

The final winners of all CNG Islamic Auction 3 lots will be determined during the live sale that will be held on 27 April 2023.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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