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Tyrants of the Tigris & euphrates
267
Buwayhids
Gold Dinar, AH 372
‘Adud al-Dawla Abu Shuja’, Buwayhid Amir in Iraq, Fars and Iran, AH 341-372/AD 952-983
Treadwell Ba372G; A 1551. Extremely Fine.
Al-Basra mint. ’Adud al-Dawla Abu Shuja’ as independent ruler, with titles
al-malik al-’adil
,
shahan-
shah
and
taj al-milla
, citing the Abbasid caliph al-Ta’i’ Lillah below reverse. Rare mint.
‘Adud al-Dawla was the laqab (title) of the Buwayhid amir Panah Khosrau (AH 341-372/ AD 952-983).
He is widely regarded as the most powerful rule of the Buwayhid dynasty. ‘Adud al-Dawla’s territories
extended from Syria to India and from Central Asia to Arabia. His coins carry the title Shahanshah (King
of Kings) as homage to the former Sasanid emperors of Persia. He maintained dual capitals at Baghdad
and Shiraz, the latter in the province of Fars (Persis) which had been the spiritual capital of the Sasanian
Empire 300 years earlier.
268
Buwayhids
Gold Dinar, AH 370
Samsam al-Dawla, Buwayhid Amir in Khuzestan, AH 367-372/AD 973-983
Treadwell Su370G; A 1567. Superb Extremely Fine.
Suq al-Ahwaz mint, ‘Abbasid-style legends. The title Samsam al-Dawla was only conferred upon his
elevation to independent ruler in AH 372. Here, as governor of Khuzestan, he is cited as al-Marzuban
bin ‘Adud al-Dawla on reverse, along with the ‘Abbasid caliph al-Ta’i’; his father, ‘Adud al-Dawla is
named on obverse as overlord. Ahwaz is the capital of Khuzestan Province in modern Iran, “Suq” is the
Arabic word for “marketplace” or “bazaar”.