Islamic
Gold dinar from the time of Yazid II, Dimashq (?)
105 H
1929.74.1
The Islamic Department includes all coins and currency from North Africa and the Middle East, as far as Afghanistan and Central Asia, from the Islamic conquests of the seventh and eighth centuries to the present day. The Islamic coinage of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia is placed in the South Asian Department at the ANS. Rightly speaking, an Islamic coin is one designed following the traditions of Islam, that is, with inscriptions in Arabic script and no images. Nevertheless, there have been various coinages by Muslim rulers with images and inscriptions in other languages, and coinages by non-Muslims that have Arabic inscriptions and no images. Moreover, although not in any sense Islamic, the coins of Sasanian Persia, medieval Armenia, and the Aksumite kingdom are included in the Islamic department for continuity with other coinages of the same regions. The department today has over 65,000 coins and other objects. Major areas of strength include the coins of the early Islamic caliphates, Islamic Spain, and the Ottoman Empire. At present, there is no expert curator for the collection, but volunteer work and the computer cataloging of the collection continue.