Hieroglyphic translation of Peter Rabbit, £6.99
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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.