What can one discover through the study of medieval Islamic coins? It appears that the regular gold dinars and silver dirhams issued by the Ikhshidid rulers of Egypt and Palestine (935-69) followed a series of understood but unwritten rules. As the first part of this book reveals, these norms involved whose names could appear on the regular currency, where the names could be placed (based upon a strict hierarchical order), and even which parts of a Muslim name could be included. The founder of the dynasty, Muhammad ibn Tughj, could use the honorific al-Ikhshid; his eldest son and successor could use his teknonym Abu al-Qasim; his brother, the third ruler, could use only his name Ali; and the eunuch Kafur, effective ruler of Egypt for over twenty years, could never inscribe his name on the regular coinage. At the same time, each one of these rulers was named in the Friday sermon and most had their teknonym inscribed on textiles. Presentation coins, the equivalent of modern commemorative pieces, could break all these rules, and a wide variety of titles appeared, as well as a series of coins with human representation. The second half of the book is a catalogue of over 1,200 specimens, enabling curators, collectors, and dealers to identify coins in their own collections and their relative rarity. Throughout the book numismatic pieces are illustrated, along with commentary on their inscriptions, layout, and metallic content.

This book is the second volume of an illustrated price guide to Islamic coins; the first volume was published in 2015. The Islamic market has long been hampered by two things: the lack of reliable information regarding values due to the historic volatility of auction prices for Islamic coins, and the lack of general reference works with illustrations. This book is an attempt to remedy both these problems. It is intended as an introductory guide, aimed at the general collector; suggestions for further reading are given throughout the book.

"The Coinage of the Crusaders and the World of Islam covers an extensive selection of coins of the Crusades of Edessa, Antioch, Tripoli and Jerusalem and other numismatic areas including the coins of Islam. This encyclopedic book includes illustrations of over 840 coins, each with short historical notes. To bridge Crusader-Islamic history and crusader numismatics, coins of the Seljuks, the Zengids of Mosul, the Seljuks of Rum, the Artuqids and the Ayyubids have been included, while the first chapter describes coins of the Islamic world before the First Crusade, such as the Moors of Spain, the Aghlabids and the Fatimids." "The book also describes and illustrates West European imported coins, some of which Byzantine gold coins as well as coins of the Norman Kings; and coins of the period following the Fourth Crusade of 1204 of Achaea, Athens and Epirus together with all other baronial issues. This work covers with meticulous detail coins of Cyprus, Armenia, Chios, Rhodes and Malta. A coin of each denomination and ruler is illustrated and described."--BOOK JACKET.

This book provides an introduction to the coinages of the Near and Middle East, issued by the various dynasties that emerged from the religious state established by the Prophet Muhammad. The Islamic coinages of India and South East Asia are excluded because they are derived from different monetary concepts and cultural backgrounds. Each chapter begins with a summary of the main historical changes that are relevant to a general study of the coinage. This is followed by detailed commentary on the coinage with reference to the illustrations. The latter are reproduced at actual size, the better to appreciate the motifs and especially the fine art of calligraphy which is the very epitome of Islamic art. Detailed captions to the illustrations provide a "parallel text" complementing the more general historical material. A particularly valuable feature of the book are the nine maps specially drawn for it which were prepared to show the mint towns of the different dynasties. From these the extent of the spread of Islamic culture and coinage can be well seen.

The present volume of the catalogue Islamic Coins of the National Museum of Ṣanʽā’ comprises the collection of Islamic coinage from the beginning of Islam up to the end of the 7th/12th centuries. The catalogue is organized by name of dynasty, in chronological order. The majority of these coins are from Yemen and were minted by the local dynasties who took their monetary independence from the end of the 3rd/9th century. Some Umayyad and Abbasid dirhams are included: they are from Iran, Mesopotamia and Levant.

Part 1 of a detailed reference work on Islamic coins. This first volume focuses on the coins of the mediaeval period from the beginnings of Islam up to the 10th century AH/16th century AD.

In this controversial exploration of the early history of Islam, archaeologist Yehuda D. Nevo and researcher Judith Koren present a revolutionary theory of the origins and development of the Islamic state and religion. Whereas most works on this subject derive their view of the history of this period from the Muslim literature, Crossroads to Islam also examines important types of evidence hitherto neglected: the literature of the local (Christian) population, archaeological excavations, numismatics, and especially rock inscriptions. These analyses lay the foundation for a radical view of the development of Islam.According to Nevo and Koren, the evidence suggests that the Arabs were in fact pagan when they assumed power in the regions formerly ruled by the Byzantine Empire. They contend that the Arabs took control almost without a struggle, because Byzantium had effectively withdrawn from the area long before. After establishing control, the new Arab elite adopted a simple monotheism influenced by Judaeo-Christianity, which they encountered in their newly acquired territories, and gradually developed it into the Arab religion. Not until the mid-8th century was this process completed.This interpretation of the evidence corroborates the view of other scholars, who on different grounds propose that Islam and the canonized version of the Koran were preceded by a long period of development. This new view turns on its head the traditional history of the rise of Islam, which claims that Islam began with Muhammad in Mecca and Medina around 622; then spread throughout Arabia under his charismatic leadership; and finally, after Muhammad''s death (632), inspired his followers to conquer widespread territories both in the East and West. By contrast, Nevo and Koren suggest that the rise of the Arab state created a need for a state religion, eventually called Islam.This absorbing and controversial rethinking of Islam''s early history is must reading for students and scholars of Islamic history and anyone interested in the origins of the world''s second largest religion.

The two-volume Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture bridges the gap between monograph and survey text by providing a new level of access and interpretation to Islamic art. The more than 50 newly commissioned essays revisit canonical topics, and include original approaches and scholarship on neglected aspects of the field. This two-volume Companion showcases more than 50 specially commissioned essays and an introduction that survey Islamic art and architecture in all its traditional grandeur Essays are organized according to a new chronological-geographical paradigm that remaps the unprecedented expansion of the field and reflects the nuances of major artistic and political developments during the 1400-year span The Companion represents recent developments in the field, and encourages future horizons by commissioning innovative essays that provide fresh perspectives on canonical subjects, such as early Islamic art, sacred spaces, palaces, urbanism, ornament, arts of the book, and the portable arts while introducing others that have been previously neglected, including unexplored geographies and periods, transregional connectivities, talismans and magic, consumption and networks of portability, museums and collecting, and contemporary art worlds; the essays entail strong comparative and historiographic dimensions The volumes are accompanied by a map, and each subsection is preceded by a brief outline of the main cultural and historical developments during the period in question The volumes include periods and regions typically excluded from survey books including modern and contemporary art-architecture; China, Indonesia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Sicily, the New World (Americas)

The present volume is dedicated to Michael L. Bates, Curator Emeritus of Islamic Coins at the American Numismatic Society.