Ghaznavid Gold Dinar

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 Ghaznavid Gold Dinar?

Ghaznavid Indian campaigns funded vast gold issues from Mahmud onward. It was struck in 1099–1115 CE at Ghazna under Mas'ud III (Ghaznavid).

What metal and weight is it?

Gold, weighing approximately ~4.0 g.

What designs appear on it?

Obverse: Shahada + sultan's titles. Reverse: Caliph's name in Kufic.

Related pieces

Gold

Umayyad Gold Dinar

Abd al-Malik (post-reform)

77 AH / 696 CE

First purely epigraphic Islamic coin — a revolution in monetary art.

Gold

Samanid Gold Dinar (Nishapur)

Abd al-Malik I (Samanid)

955–956 CE

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Great Seljuq Gold Dinar

Malik-Shah I

1072–1092 CE

Issued across a vast empire from Anatolia to Transoxiana.

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Ilkhanid Gold Dinar of Arghun

Arghun Khan (Ilkhanid)

AH 684 / 1285–1286 CE

Bilingual Arabic-Uighur issue from the Mongol Ilkhanate of Iran, before Ghazan's conversion to Islam.

Gold

Abbasid Gold Dinar of Harun al-Rashid

Caliph Harun al-Rashid

AH 184 / 800 CE

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Gold

Ghurid Gold Dinar of Mu'izz al-Din

Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad of Ghor

AH 599–602 / 1202–1206 CE

Mu'izz al-Din (also Muhammad of Ghor) extended Ghurid rule from Afghanistan into northern India, founding the Delhi Sultanate's precursor state. His coinage circulated from Herat to the Gangetic plain.