Arab-Sasanian Drachm

Historical context — Arab-Sasanian & Early Islamic

Arab governors continued striking Sasanian-style drachms with added Arabic Kufic legends (bismillah). Abd al-Malik's reform (696/77 AH) introduced epigraphic-only Islamic coinage — the silver dirham and gold dinar.

Frequently asked

What is the Arab-Sasanian Drachm?

Transitional issue — Sasanian iconography continued for 50 years after the conquest. It was struck in 673–683 CE at Basra / Bishapur under Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad.

What metal and weight is it?

Silver, weighing approximately ~4.0 g.

What designs appear on it?

Obverse: Sasanian bust of Khosrow II type + Arabic bismillah in margin. Reverse: Fire altar + Arabic governor's name.

Related pieces

Silver

Tabaristan Hemidrachm (Abbasid Era)

Issued under Caliph al-Mahdi

AH 158–169 / 775–785 CE

Long after the Arab conquest the Caspian province of Tabaristan retained semi-autonomous local dynasties (Dabuyids, then Abbasid governors) who continued striking Sasanian-style half-drachms with Pahlavi script — among the latest survivals of pre-Islamic Iranian coinage, well into the late 8th century.

Silver

Early Seleucid Tetradrachm

Antiochos I Soter (Seleucid)

281–261 BCE

Anchor symbol referenced the Seleucid dynasty's founding legend.

Silver

Antiochus III "the Great" Tetradrachm

Antiochus III

222–187 BCE

Struck in massive quantities to fund eastern campaigns.

Silver

Greco-Bactrian Tetradrachm of Diodotus I

Diodotus I (Greco-Bactrian)

c. 250 BCE

Diodotus broke from the Seleucids to found the Greco-Bactrian kingdom — Hellenistic coinage striking deep into eastern Iran.

Silver

Antiochus IV Epiphanes Tetradrachm

Antiochus IV Epiphanes

175–164 BCE

The most ambitious Seleucid king after Antiochus III — his eastern campaigns took him deep into Iran where he died in 164 BCE near Tabae in Persis. His coinage is the high-water mark of Seleucid royal portraiture.

Silver

Antiochus VII Sidetes Drachm — Ecbatana

Antiochus VII Sidetes

138–129 BCE

Last Seleucid push east — Antiochus VII briefly recaptured Media from the Parthians in 130 BCE before dying in battle at Ecbatana, ending Seleucid presence on the Iranian plateau.