105 / 166
Tyrants of the Tigris & euphrates
237
Umayyad Caliphate
Gold Dinar, AH 126
temp. al-Walid II / Yazid III / Ibrahim, Umayyad Caliphs, AH 125-126/AD 743; AH 126/
AD 743-744; AH 126-127/AD 744
SICA-2, 293ff; A T138. Superb Extremely Fine.
No mint name (Damascus). Kalima at center, Qur’an 9:33 in margin; reverse, Qur’an 112; date formula
in margin. Dinars of 126h are rare and although they may have been struck by any of the three caliphs
who ruled in that year, they are conventionally assigned to al-Walid II.
238
Umayyad Caliphate
Gold Dinar, AH 127
temp. Ibrahim, Umayyad Caliph, AH 126-127/AD 744
SICA-2, 299ff; A T140. Superb Extremely Fine.
No mint name (Damascus). Kalima at center, Qur’an 9:33 in margin; reverse, Qur’an 112; date formula
in margin. Extremely rare.
The brief reign of the Umayyad caliph Ibrahim (AH 126-127/ AD 744) came amid the tumult of a series
of civil wars known to Arab historians as the Third Fitna. The caliph al-Walid II (AH 125-126/ AD
743) succeeded his paternal uncle, the caliph Hisham (AH 105-125/ AD 724-743) on 6 February 743.
Although initially well-received, al-Walid’s popularity waned due to partisanship and rumors of moral
failing. In April 744, Yazid ibn al-Walid I, a cousin of al-Walid II, entered Damascus while his cousin
was away. There he was proclaimed caliph by his followers as Yazid III (AH 126/ AD 743-744). Al-
Walid II refused attempts at mediation and was killed on 17 April 744. His severed head was hoisted on a
lance and paraded through the streets of Damascus. Yazid then imprisoned al-Walid’s sons ‘Uthman and
Hakam, whom the late caliph had designated as heirs. Yazid III promised the people that he would reign
with honor and fiscal restraint but he fell ill of a brain tumor and died on 3 or 4 October 744, after a reign
of less than six months. Before his death, Yazid appointed his brother Ibrahim as heir and was duly suc-
ceeded by him. At the same time, Marwan ibn Muhammad, a grandson of the caliph Marwan I, marched
on Damascus under the pretense of championing the sons of al-Walid II who had been imprisoned by
Yazid. Ibrahim fled to Palmyra after a reign of just 60 days. Marwan entered Damascus peacefully where
he was proclaimed caliph as Marwan II on 4 December 744. Marwan’s reign was likewise plagued by
partisan conflict, culminating in the ‘Abbasid Revolution. Like most members of the Umayyad family,
both Marwan and Ibrahim were executed by ‘Abbasid revolutionaries in 750. The Umayyad dinar dated
AH 127 is conventionally attributed to the caliph Ibrahim. It is the rarest date of the series, apart from
the legendary dinar of year 77. The Umayyad dinar of AH 127 in the Tyrant Collection is a superb and
lustrous example, virtually mint state and easily among the finest known.