What Is a Dirham?

The dirham was the principal silver denomination of the early Islamic caliphates. Following the monetary reforms of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan around AH 77 (AD 696 to 697), the dirham became the standard silver coin used throughout much of the Islamic world.

It remained an important denomination for centuries under the Umayyads, Abbasids, and many later Islamic dynasties.

What Does Dirham Mean?

The word dirham ultimately derives from the ancient Greek word drachma. The name passed through Persian and Middle Persian (drahm) before becoming dirham in Arabic.

Although the Islamic dirham was a distinct coin with its own standards and designs, its name preserves a linguistic connection to one of the ancient world's most famous silver denominations.

When Was the Dirham Introduced?

The first standardized Islamic silver dirhams were introduced during the monetary reforms of Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan in AH 77 (AD 696 to 697). Before these reforms, many regions of the Islamic world continued using modified Byzantine and Sasanian coins inherited from earlier empires.

The new reformed dirham established a unified Islamic silver currency featuring standardized Arabic inscriptions instead of imperial portraits.

Why Was the Dirham Important?

The dirham became one of the most successful trade coins in world history.

Millions of dirhams traveled along caravan routes and the Silk Road, making them one of the most widely distributed medieval silver coins.

How Big Is a Dirham?

Although standards varied over time and between dynasties, early Islamic dirhams generally followed a consistent form.

Many Islamic rulers maintained remarkably consistent silver standards for generations.

What Appears on a Dirham?

Unlike Roman or Byzantine coins, most reformed Islamic dirhams do not depict people or animals. Instead, they feature elegant Arabic inscriptions.

These inscriptions served as both a medium of exchange and a statement of religious and political authority.

Why Don't Dirhams Have Portraits?

One of the defining characteristics of reformed Islamic coinage is its emphasis on inscriptions rather than portraits. Although some of the earliest Arab-Byzantine and Arab-Sasanian coins copied earlier imperial designs, the reforms of Abd al-Malik introduced a distinctive inscriptional style that emphasized religious and political messages rather than images of rulers.

This style became one of the defining features of Islamic coinage for centuries.

Why Are Dirham Dates Written Differently?

Islamic dirhams are dated using the Hijri (AH) calendar rather than the Common Era (AD) calendar. The Hijri calendar begins with the Prophet Muhammad's migration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina in AD 622 and follows lunar years rather than solar years.

Collectors will often see dates such as AH 77, AH 150, or AH 300 on Islamic coins.

Who Issued Dirhams?

Many Islamic dynasties struck dirhams across more than a thousand years of history.

Because so many dynasties produced dirhams, collectors can explore more than a thousand years of Islamic history through this single denomination.

Own Coinage of the Abbasid Caliphate

Abbasid Caliphate Bronze Fals — The Islamic Golden Age

Bronze · AD 750–1258 · $79

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Were Dirhams Used Outside the Islamic World?

Yes. Islamic dirhams became one of the world's great international trade currencies. More than 100,000 Islamic dirhams have been discovered in Viking-age hoards across Scandinavia, Russia, and Eastern Europe, demonstrating the enormous reach of medieval trade networks.

These discoveries show that Islamic silver circulated thousands of miles beyond the borders of the caliphates.

The Silver That Reached Scandinavia

Age of the Vikings — Silver Coin Collection

Includes Abbasid silver · c. AD 700–900 · $62

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Can You Read a Dirham Without Knowing Arabic?

Yes, but it takes practice. Most collectors begin by learning to identify a few key elements.

Reference books and online databases make it possible for collectors who do not read Arabic to attribute many Islamic coins accurately.

Are Ancient Dirhams Rare?

Most common Islamic dirhams are readily available to collectors. Because they were struck in enormous quantities over many centuries, many examples remain surprisingly affordable.

Certain dynasties, rare mints, famous rulers, and exceptional preservation can make individual coins much more valuable.

Collecting Ancient Dirhams

Collectors enjoy dirhams for the history and artistry they pack into affordable silver.

Many collectors begin exploring Islamic coinage with a silver dirham because it combines historical importance with accessibility. If you're interested in Islamic coinage, be sure to read our guides to the Dinar, Fals, Byzantine Solidus, and Hexagram.

While preserving a name that ultimately traces back to the ancient Greek drachma, the dirham introduced one of history's most distinctive coin designs through elegant Arabic inscriptions and standardized silver coinage.

Found everywhere from the markets of Baghdad and Córdoba to Viking treasure hoards in Scandinavia, the dirham tells the story of a civilization whose influence stretched across three continents.

History wasn't just written. It was minted.

Frequently Asked Questions