What is the Umayyad Gold Dinar?

First purely epigraphic Islamic coin — a revolution in monetary art. It was struck in 77 AH / 696 CE at Damascus under Abd al-Malik (post-reform).

What metal and weight is the Umayyad Gold Dinar?

Gold, weighing approximately ~4.25 g.

Persian Treasury

فارسی11 eras

Arab-Sasanian & Early Islamic

Umayyad Gold Dinar

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

Key specifications for Umayyad Gold Dinar
Date	77 AH / 696 CE
Ruler / issuer	Abd al-Malik (post-reform)
Mint	Damascus
Metal	Gold
Weight	~4.25 g
Era	Arab-Sasanian & Early Islamic (651 – 1258 CE)
Region	Caliphate provinces of Iran

Obverse

Shahada in centre; mint and date in margin.

Reverse

Qur'an 112 (al-Ikhlas).

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.

Read the full Arab-Sasanian & Early Islamic essay →

Frequently asked

What is the Umayyad Gold Dinar?: First purely epigraphic Islamic coin — a revolution in monetary art. It was struck in 77 AH / 696 CE at Damascus under Abd al-Malik (post-reform).
What metal and weight is it?: Gold, weighing approximately ~4.25 g.
What designs appear on it?: Obverse: Shahada in centre; mint and date in margin. Reverse: Qur'an 112 (al-Ikhlas).

Samanid Gold Dinar (Nishapur)

Abd al-Malik I (Samanid)

955–956 CE

Samanid silver dirhams flooded Viking-age trade; vast hoards found from Russia to Sweden.

Ghaznavid Gold Dinar

Mas'ud III (Ghaznavid)

1099–1115 CE

Ghaznavid Indian campaigns funded vast gold issues from Mahmud onward.

Great Seljuq Gold Dinar

Malik-Shah I

1072–1092 CE

Issued across a vast empire from Anatolia to Transoxiana.

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.

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.

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.

Source

Commons – First Umayyad gold dinar →