Stolen CT USA 11-2012 Islamic, Umayyad Caliphate, al Walid I, 91 AH, 710 A

Silver dirhem, Walker BMC p. 192, 533; Album 128, EF, Wasit, Iraq mint , weight 2.909g, maximum diameter 26.5mm, die axis 0o, 91 AH, 710 A.D.; Obverse Kufic inscription: There is no god except Allah / He is alone / He has no equal (in center); In the name of Allah this dirhem was struck at Wasit in year 91; Reverse Kufic: Allah is one, Allah is eternal, He begets not neither is he begotten (in center); Muhammad is the messenger of God, He sent him with guidance and the true religion to reveal it to all religions even if the polytheists abhor it (in margin); Al-Walid I (705-715 AD) (b 668 - d 715 AD) began the Islamic conquests and took the early Islamic empire to its farthest extents - from the Iberian Peninsula to India. He reconquered parts of Egypt from the Byzantine Empire and moved on into Carthage and across to the west of North Africa. Then, in 711, Muslim armies crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and began to conquer the Iberian Peninsula. His reign is considered as the apex of Islamic power Provenance and Attribution Forum Ancient Coins July 7 2012