India 1/5 dirham Silver damma ( ) of al-Rabi, Abbasid governors of Multan, early 800's AD

Crude bust facing left within a dotted border, Brahmi "Ra" (for "Rabi'") on the forehead // Three dots, stylized Brahmi "Sri" above, Brahmi letters "Ta" and "Pa+" in fields, below Lillah al-Rabbi' in Arabic. 13mmx14mm, 0.63 grams. Fishman/Todd "The Silver Damma" (2018) #M49. SKU X1407-T93-36168

Very rare. The three-dot coins of Multan were only recently researched and published (see Fishman/Todd's recent catalogue "The Silver Damma" (2018))

Al-Rabi issued only one type of coin, showing a head on the obverse, which replaced the Arabic legends of the old type. His identity is unknown - the name al-Rabi was not particularly rare and a number of prominent men with that name lived in the 8th and 9th century CE. In the absence of other information, it is reasonable to assume that al-Rabi was an Abbasid sub-governor, or a Sindh-appointed Amir or magistrate, in charge of Multan.

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