Silver medallion

^cAbbasid dynasty, AH 325 / AD 937
Madinat al-Salam (Baghdad), Iraq

A commemorative medallion with a verse from the Qur'an

Medallions were sometimes struck to commemorate particular political events or special occasions. This beautiful silver example was struck by the ^cAbbasid caliph al-Radi (934-40) with an arabesque pattern in the centre of the reverse. Its inscriptions include a verse from the Qur'an (35:31): 'Praise to God, who has put away sorrow from us, verily our Lord is forgiving, prone to reward.'

It has been suggested that the medallion was struck to commemorate the establishment of order in the city of Baghdad following the arrival of the powerful Amir al-Ra'ik. In the year before this medallion was struck (AD 936), he had been invited into the city in order to subdue the various factions that were causing civil disturbance in the city.