Artuqid Bronze Dirham

The Artuqid Bronze Dirham is a copper-alloy coin issued by the Artuqid dynasty, a Turkmen family that governed parts of the Jazira and eastern Anatolia from the late 11th through the 13th century. Although called a "dirham" in period usage, the piece shown here is struck in bronze rather than silver, reflecting a regional practice of naming large copper coins after the silver standard.

This particular type is epigraphic: both faces carry Arabic inscriptions set within ornamental borders, rather than the figural imagery for which some Artuqid coppers are famous. The heavy brown-green patina visible on the surviving pieces is typical of centuries in the ground and helps distinguish genuine circulated examples from cleaned or modern reproductions.

The Artuqids (also spelled Ortoqid or Artukid) descended from Artuq ibn Eksük, a Turkmen commander in Seljuq service. By the early 12th century his heirs had established branches ruling from Mardin and Mayyafariqin (modern Silvan) and from Hisn Kayfa (Hasankeyf), holding a strategic frontier between the Seljuqs, the Crusader states, and later the Zangids and Ayyubids.

Artuqid copper coinage of the 12th century is a distinctive chapter in Islamic numismatics. While Islamic mints generally favored purely calligraphic designs, several Artuqid rulers issued large bronze pieces, some borrowing classical, Byzantine, and astrological images, others—like the inscriptional type described here—keeping to Arabic legends naming the ruler and his overlord. These coins circulated as everyday token money within Artuqid territory and are frequently found today across southeastern Turkey, northern Syria, and northern Iraq.

Look for a thick, irregular bronze flan, typically broad and somewhat uneven, with a dark brown to green patina. Both sides bear Arabic (Kufic or naskh) inscriptions arranged in horizontal lines or circular legends, each enclosed by a decorative border of dots, beads, or linear ornament.

The legends usually record the ruler's name and titles and often acknowledge a nominal overlord (Seljuq sultan or Abbasid caliph). Because dies were hand-cut and the coins struck by hand, expect off-center strikes, weak areas, and legends that run off the flan. Diameter and weight vary considerably from piece to piece, which is normal for this series.

The two ornamental-border faces, dense Arabic script, and bronze fabric together point to an inscriptional Artuqid issue rather than the better-known figural Artuqid bronzes that show human or astrological heads.

Artuqid bronze coins are relatively plentiful, so most circulated inscriptional examples are affordable and sit in the modest-to-moderate range for medieval Islamic bronze. Condition drives price: worn pieces with unclear legends bring less, while sharply struck coins with fully legible inscriptions and attractive patina command a premium.

Figural Artuqid bronzes (with classical or astrological imagery) are generally more sought after than purely epigraphic types, but well-preserved inscriptional coins with clear mint and ruler attributions still attract steady collector interest. Confirmed attribution to a specific ruler and mint, and an even, undamaged patina, add the most value. Treat any single figure as a starting point and verify against recent comparable sales.