Thread by @NaqadStudies

Copper Coins minted in Damascus in the First-and Second Century AH

Damascus was the largest city in Bilad al-Sham and the capital of the Umayyad Empire for approximately 90 years.

Damascus coins issued their sanctioned archetype, which was then followed by all other minting cities of the empire.

Copper coins went through same stages (below) as silver and gold. But the value was less, so less time was taken to mint them.

We can distinguish three stages in Umayyad coinage: 

A/ Initial Stage: inscriptions and calligraphy in Arabic, displaying Byzantine influence

B/ Greek-Arabic Intermediate Stage

C/ Islamic Stage: no Byzantine influence

A/ Initial Stage: These coins were struck with same archetype as the Byzantine, with some Arabic words added

A.1/ Front: Byzantine emperor Heraclius sitting on throne with Latin "AEO"    
Reverse: M ("40") with Christogram on top, DAM ("Damascus") in Greek

A.2/ Latin-Greek-Arabic coin

Front: Byzantine emperor standing
Reverse: M ("40") with Christogram on top, wafihi "approved by the mintage" beneath, "Damascus" written in Arabic

A.3/ Greek-Arabic coin 

Front: Emperor Heraclius with crosses- DAM ("Damascus") in Greek
Reverse: M ("40"), "Damascus" (in Kufic script) -Ja‘iz ("legitimate")

B/ Arabic Coins carrying the image of the standing caliph

These copper coins are the first to contain ( parts of) the Shahada

B.1/ Front: Standing Caliph. In margins: "Abd- Al Malik….Commander of the faithful"
Reverse: center is an alteration of the cross, in the margin the entire monotheistic testimony.

This 'pure Islamic' style of coins appeared first in Damascus, the capital of the Umayyad Empire, from which it gradually disseminated. Other mints followed later in this style.

C/ Pure Arabic Islamic Coins (after 692- 696) 

C.1-Front: rosette with “There is no God but Allah alone”
Reverse: Pentagonal-Salomon star with “the coin was struck in Damascus”

C.2- Front: "There is no God but Allah alone"   
Reverse: "This coin was struck in Damascus, In the name of Allah, my Lord is Allah, Mohammed is the messenger of Allah" in the margin

C.3- Front: "There is no God but Allah alone" 
Reverse: "Mohammed-messenger-of Allah," margin: "In the name of Allah, this coin in struck in Damascus"

C.4- Front: "There is no God-but Allah-alone" (center), margin: "Abdullah al-Walid, Commander of the Faithful" 
Reverse: center: Muhammadan message, margin: “This coin was struck in Damascus in AH 87” (AD 705)

C.5- Front:  “There is no God but Allah –Allah alone –there is no partner with Him."  
Reverse: “Mohammed – is the messenger of –Allah," margin: "In the name of Allah, this coin was struck in Damascus in one hundred and ninety two"  

This coin shows Abbasid influence.

Information from:

Ghazwan Mustafa Yaghi’s, Copper Coins minted in Damascus in the First- andSecond Century Hijra

academia.edu/15488891/Coppe…