Islamic History through Coins (PDF)

Islamic History through Coins has become the standard reference for Islamic coinage struck by the Ikhshidid rulers of Egypt and Palestine (935-69). The second edition not only corrects minor errors in the first edition but adds data on more than three hundred new specimens, including a half-dozen coin types not identified in the first edition. The new specimens include two examples struck with the mint name Mecca and a gold issue associated with the famous eunuch Kafur, two years before he became sole ruler of Egypt. As noted in a number of very positive reviews, the value of this book is that it serves two distinct audiences successfully. While the first part of the book is considered the best introduction to the study of Islamic coinage available in English and serves the needs of students, faculty, collectors and dealers who are seeking a place to start their possible study of Islamic numismatics, the second half is a catalogue of more than 1,500 specimens, enabling curators, collectors, and dealers to identify coins and their relative rarity. The early chapters, which are heavily illustrated, demonstrate how numismatic evidence can be used to enhance our understanding of this period of Islamic rule. For example, the coinage reveals the hierarchy of parts of the names used by the Ikhshidid rulers, which cannot be found in narrative texts, and the retention of a pre-Islamic artistic memory of their Central Asian origins unknown until this study of their coinage.