What metal and weight is the Tabaristan Hemidrachm (Abbasid Era)?

Silver, weighing approximately ~2.0 g.

Arab-Sasanian & Early Islamic

Tabaristan Hemidrachm (Abbasid Era)

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.

Key specifications for Tabaristan Hemidrachm (Abbasid Era)
Date	AH 158–169 / 775–785 CE
Ruler / issuer	Issued under Caliph al-Mahdi
Mint	Tabaristan
Metal	Silver
Weight	~2.0 g
Era	Arab-Sasanian & Early Islamic (651 – 1258 CE)
Region	Caliphate provinces of Iran

Obverse

Stylised Sasanian-style bust derived from Khosrow II; Pahlavi legend.

Reverse

Fire altar with attendants; Arabic governor's name in margin; Tabari (post-Yazdgerd) era date.

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.

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Frequently asked

What is the Tabaristan Hemidrachm (Abbasid Era)?: 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. It was struck in AH 158–169 / 775–785 CE at Tabaristan under Issued under Caliph al-Mahdi.
What metal and weight is it?: Silver, weighing approximately ~2.0 g.
What designs appear on it?: Obverse: Stylised Sasanian-style bust derived from Khosrow II; Pahlavi legend. Reverse: Fire altar with attendants; Arabic governor's name in margin; Tabari (post-Yazdgerd) era date.

Arab-Sasanian Drachm

Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad

673–683 CE

Transitional issue — Sasanian iconography continued for 50 years after the conquest.

Abbasid Gold Dinar of Harun al-Rashid

Caliph Harun al-Rashid

AH 184 / 800 CE

Struck at the height of the Abbasid Caliphate's prestige under the patron of the 'Thousand and One Nights' court. Abbasid gold dinars circulated as the dominant trade coin from al-Andalus to Sogdia, and the standard was rigorously maintained for over two centuries.

Early Seleucid Tetradrachm

Antiochos I Soter (Seleucid)

281–261 BCE

Anchor symbol referenced the Seleucid dynasty's founding legend.

Antiochus III "the Great" Tetradrachm

Antiochus III

222–187 BCE

Struck in massive quantities to fund eastern campaigns.

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.

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.

Source

Commons – Tabaristan coin under al-Mahdi →