101 / 166
Tyrants of the Tigris & euphrates
227
Umayyad Caliphate
Silver Drachm, AH 62
temp. Yazid I, Umayyad Caliph, AH 60-64/AD 680-683
SICA-1, 295; A 12. Extremely Fine.
GD (Jayy) mint. Arab-Sasanian Khusro II type naming ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad as governor in Pahlavi
script, Pahlavi “GM” monogram and Arabic “bism Allah” in obverse margin; Reverse, fire altar with
attendants, mint and date.
The hereditary accession of Yazid I (AH 60-64/ AD 680-683) to the Umayyad throne was challenged by
Hussain ibn Ali, the son of the last Rashidun caliph ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and the grandson of the Prophet
Muhammad. The challenge took a deadly turn in an all-out confrontation between Yazid’s forces and
those of Hussain on the plains of Karbala. Out numbered nearly 20 to 1, Hussain, his brother Abbas and
their companions were killed. The Battle of Karbala created a major rift in the Muslim community which
persists to this day in the division of Sunni and Shia Islam.
228
Umayyad Caliphate
Silver Drachm, AH 64
temp. Marwan I ibn al-Hakkam, Umayyad Caliph, AH 64-65/AD 683-685
Walker Th.11; A 26. Fine.
SK (Sijistan) mint. In the name of Talha ibn ‘Abd Allah, Marwanid Governor of Sijistan for the
Umayyads. Sasanian-style bust right, Talha’s name and patronymic in Pahlavi at right, Arabic
Talha
lillah
in margin; Reverse, fire altar with attendants, mint and date. The coins of this governor are known
only from Sijistan with dates 64 and 66. The obverse margin bears the unconventional motto
Talha lillah
(“Talha for Allah”) in place of the usual
bism Allah
(“In the name of Allah”).
The hallmark of naval warfare between Muslims and Byzantines in this period was the use of “Greek
Fire” by the Byzantines, a highly effective weapon which repelled the Arab navy and destroyed their
ships. The use of “Greek Fire” in late antiquity was the forerunner of modern naval surface to surface
weaponry.