99 / 166
Tyrants of the Tigris & euphrates
223
Sasanian Empire
Silver Drachm (4.08g, 31.5 mm), AD 632-651
Yazdgird III, Sasanian King, AD 632-651
Sunrise # 1010, Gobl Type I/1, Mochiri 388, Extremely Fine.
Mint: SK (Sakastan)-Present day province of Sistan. Year: 3 (regnal Year).
Yazdgird III was the last of the Sasanian monarchs. He governed for 19 or 20 years, mostly spent in mar-
shaling the remaining resources of Persia to fight the Arab Invasion. He was the son of prince Shahriyar
(Shahryar) and grandson of Khosrau II. He was unsuccessful in repulsing the invading Arabs and lost
the capital Ctesiphon after the battle of Qadesiyeh. In Ctesiphon, the conquering Arabs came upon the
imperial treasury containing riches beyond imagination. The capture of the treasury gave the advancing
Arab armies resources to expand their campaign of conquest. Some Persian commanders and governors
such as Piruzan, the governor of Khuzestan, joined the Arab armies and provided important information
rnecessary to break Yazdgird’s resistance. Eventually, Yazdgird was killed in a plot orchestrated by the
governor of the city of Marv. Upon his death, the Sasanian Empire came to an end.
224
Rashidun Caliphate
Silver Drachm, YE 25 (AH 36)
temp. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, Rashidun Caliph, AH 35-40/AD 656-661
Walker B.2; A 4. Extremely Fine.
NY (Nihawand) mint. Anonymous Arab-Sasanian Khusro II type with Pahlavi legends, Arabic “bism
Allah” added in obverse margin; reverse, fire altar with attendants, mint and date. Rare mint.
Year 25 of the Yazdigerd Era is equivalent to Year 36 of the Islamic Hijri calendar. Although anonymous,
this coin was minted during the reign of the Rashidun caliph ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (AH 35-40/ AD 656-
661). Although he was the fourth of the Rashidun caliphs, ‘Ali is considered the first rightful successor
of the Prophet Muhammad by Shia Islam. The mint city of Nihawand (modern Nahavand in Hamadan
Province, Iran) was the site of the last major confrontation between the Sasanid Persians and the nascent
Muslim Caliphate. The battle of Nihawand saw the complete defeat of the Sasanian army and is referred
to as the “Victory of Victories” by Arab historians.