Yazid b. al-Muhallab Silver Drahm

Monetary Context and Historical Setting

During the final decades of the first Islamic century, the Umayyad Caliphate initiated sweeping administrative and monetary centralisation under Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. Although Damascus and Iraq transitioned toward epigraphic, aniconic gold dinars in 77 AH and silver dirhams in 78-79 AH, entrenched commercial habits across the eastern provinces slowed the adoption of reformed silver. In the Iranian plateau and Khurasan, daily trade remained wedded to the thin, wide silver drachm format established by the Sasanian Empire. Umayyad authorities maintained administrative stability by striking hybrid Arab-Sasanian drahms that retained Sasanian weights and fabric while incorporating Islamic invocations and governors' names. Yazid b. al-Muhallab operated within this frontier milieu, first serving as a commander alongside his father al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra in Kirman during anti-Kharijite campaigns, and later serving as governor of Khurasan from 82 to 85 AH (701-704 AD). His silver drahms document both the persistence of provincial Sasanian mint traditions and an extraordinary burst of regional iconographic innovation that resisted metropolitan uniformity.

Mint Organization and Production Techniques

Production of silver drahms in Yazid's name took place across two separate geographical theaters using traditional late Sasanian hammered minting techniques. The initial phase in 78 AH utilized an array of local mint workshops distributed throughout Kirman province. Attested mint signatures in Middle Persian script include KRMAN-GY (identified as Jiruft), KRMAN-NAR (Narmashir), KRMAN-HPYC (Khabis), KRMAN-SRZ (Sirjan), and GRM+KRMAN (Garm Kirman), alongside uncertain provincial facilities. These workshops employed skilled local engravers and struck broad flans adhering to the traditional Sasanian weight standard of roughly 3.5 to 4.1 grams. The second production phase was concentrated at a single remote outpost: ANBYR (Anbir), the administrative seat of the Juzjan district in eastern Khurasan (modern northern Afghanistan). Dated 84 AH, the Anbir issues were struck on slightly lighter silver flans, typically weighing around 3.0 to 3.4 grams with diameters between 30 and 32 millimeters. Artisans at Anbir executed dies of exceptional technical precision, cutting intricate armor details and trilingual epigraphy onto the steel faces.

Obverse Iconography and Variations

The obverse design of Yazid's silver drahms diverges sharply between the Kirman and Juzjan issues. The 78 AH Kirman pieces preserve the standard Arab-Sasanian portraiture directly adapted from late Khusraw II models: a right-facing royal bust wearing an elaborate mural crown with wings and a crescent-star finial, adorned with heavy earrings, an ornamental necklace, and draped cuirass, set within double concentric linear borders punctuated by star-and-crescent motifs at the cardinal points. In contrast, the 84 AH drahm from Anbir introduces a daring break from classical royal regalia. While retaining the facial silhouette and draped shoulders characteristic of Sasanian portraiture, the traditional crown is completely replaced by a conical military helmet. This headgear is topped by an upright palmette finial, numismatically designated as a weather-vane crest. By substituting martial headwear for imperial crown attributes, the die engravers transformed the conventional ruler portrait into a direct representation of military command.

Reverse Iconography and the Standing Warrior

On the 78 AH Kirman series, the reverse adheres strictly to the canonical Arab-Sasanian layout: a central Zoroastrian fire altar with three stepped base tiers and three stepped cap tiers, flanked by two ritual attendants facing inward while holding ceremonial barsom bundles or staves. The mint signature appears in Pahlavi on the right, and the regnal or Hijri date appears on the left. The 84 AH Anbir drahm entirely replaces the sacred fire altar with a full-length, frontal standing armed warrior. Rendered with remarkable realism, the warrior is attired in knee-length chain mail armor indicated by interlocking concentric rings, cinched at the waist with a heavy military belt, and fitted with greaves over the lower legs. His head is protected by a crested conical helmet matching the obverse bust. In his left hand, the warrior holds a tall vertical spear, while his right hand rests firmly upon the pommel of a sheathed sword suspended from his waist belt. Scholars debate whether the warrior represents an idealized Muslim soldier, Governor Yazid himself, or Caliph Abd al-Malik.

Epigraphy, Inscriptions, and Language Choice

The epigraphic repertoire of Yazid b. al-Muhallab's drahms illustrates a remarkable linguistic progression from bilingual Middle Persian and Arabic to a complex trilingual program. The 78 AH Kirman issues feature Pahlavi legends in the inner obverse field, including the standard blessing AFZUT ('may he increase') behind the head and the governor's name rendered as YZYT - I MUHALPAN ('Yazid, son of al-Muhallab') in front. Uniquely, the second quadrant of the obverse margin replaces the customary bismillah with a personal motto in early Kufic script reading 'quwwa Yazid billah' ('the strength of Yazid is through God'). The 84 AH Anbir drahm incorporates three languages and scripts: the obverse features Yazid's name in Kufic Arabic ('Yazid bin al-Muhallab') beside the bust and the religious invocation 'bismillah al-azim' ('In the name of God, the Great') in the margin. The reverse inner field maintains Pahlavi for the mint signature ANBYR and the numerical date 84, while the reverse margin divides into two linguistic sectors: quadrants one and two present a cursive Bactrian legend, and quadrants three and four present an explicit Arabic Kufic inscription declaring 'duriba jizya bi-l-Juzjan' ('struck as tribute in al-Juzjan').

Typology and Chronological Classification

Numismatic typology divides Yazid b. al-Muhallab's silver drahms into two primary series. Type 1 comprises standard Arab-Sasanian drachms struck exclusively in AH 78 (697/698 AD) across at least six distinct mint facilities in Kirman. These issues were produced during the joint campaigns of al-Muhallab and Yazid against Azariqa Kharijite insurgents, functioning as provincial coinage shortly before Abd al-Malik's reformed epigraphic dirhams penetrated the southern Iranian interior. Type 2 represents the exceedingly rare Arab-Hephthalite standing warrior drahm produced at Anbir in Juzjan in AH 84 (703/704 AD). This type dates to the final period of Yazid's first administration as governor of Khurasan, preceding his deposition and imprisonment by al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. While early twentieth-century numismatists occasionally read the mint monogram as Khurasan (HURA) and suggested an issue date of AH 82, subsequent research confirmed the mint reading as Anbir and firmly established the date as AH 84.

Circulation, Economic Role, and Secondary Treatments

The monetary circulation of Yazid's silver drahms reflected contrasting economic requirements across the eastern frontier. The 78 AH Kirman issues circulated locally in southern Iran alongside contemporary Arab-Sasanian drachms of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, providing coin supply for provincial garrisons and regional commerce. By contrast, the 84 AH Anbir drahm was struck for an explicit fiscal and political role in eastern Khurasan, designated on its reverse as tribute or poll-tax (jizya) exacted from the frontier populations and Hephthalite principalities. Combining cursive Bactrian with Middle Persian formulas and Arabic administrative text ensured that local elites recognized the coin's intrinsic value, while the depiction of a heavily armored warrior served as a visual reminder of caliphal military dominance. Surviving specimens occasionally show curved flans, light edge clipping, and circular Hephthalite countermarks applied in the margins, confirming that these drahms circulated through northern Afghanistan and the Oxus river basin into the early eighth century AD.

References

1. ARAB-SASANIAN COINS - Encyclopaedia Iranica. Sections 1 and 2, Plate II
2. The Islamic Coins From 1-100 AH / 622-719 CE - Islamic Awareness. Entries for 78 AH and 82/84 AH
3. Umayyad Coin of Yazid ibn al Muhallab, early 8th century AD. Catalogue commentary and die description