tour 10 of 11
Iran before Islam: The Sasanians
The Arab-Sasanian period
After the Arab victory at Nahavand in 642, the
new Arab governors continued to mint Sasanian-style coins for
another hundred years in Iran. These coins show the portrait of
Khusrow II (590-628) on the front and a Zoroastrian fire altar on
the back. This silver
dirhem was minted by
Ziyad ibn Abi Sufyan, Arab governor in southern
Iran.
There are
inscriptions on both sides of the coin: the governor's name
on the front and the mint and date on the back are in Middle
Persian. The margin, however, shows in Arabic
bismillah rabbi,
'in the name of Allah, the Lord'. The Sasanian
crescent and star has remained popular to this
day.