What Is a Fals? The Everyday Copper Coin of the Medieval Islamic World
What Is a Fals? The Everyday Copper Coin of the Medieval Islamic World
The Small Change of the Caliphates, the Fals Descended From the Byzantine Follis and Passed Through Countless Hands in the Markets, Workshops, and City Streets of the Medieval Islamic World.
The fals was one of the principal copper denominations used throughout much of the medieval Islamic world, serving as the small change used in everyday commerce.
While the gold dinar and silver dirham handled larger transactions, the fals was the coin ordinary people spent on daily necessities like food, household goods, and local market purchases. The name fals traces its origins to the Byzantine follis, the large bronze coin that circulated throughout the Eastern Roman Empire before the rise of Islam. As the early Islamic caliphates expanded into former Byzantine territories during the seventh century, they inherited existing monetary systems. Many of the earliest Islamic bronze coins were struck by adapting Byzantine designs before gradually developing into a distinctly Islamic coinage.
Today, ancient fals coins provide collectors with an affordable window into the daily life of the medieval Islamic world.
What Is a Fals?
The fals (plural: fulūs) was a common copper or bronze denomination used throughout much of the Islamic world. Unlike the gold dinar or silver dirham, the fals was intended for small everyday transactions.
It functioned much like modern pocket change, allowing ordinary people to buy inexpensive goods and conduct local trade.
What Does Fals Mean?
The Arabic word fals (فلس) ultimately derives from the Byzantine follis. The Greek word phollis became the Latin follis, which ultimately evolved into the Arabic fals, while the plural form became fulūs.
The modern Arabic word for small change in some regions still preserves this ancient name.
When Was the Fals Introduced?
The earliest Islamic fulūs appeared during the seventh century AD, shortly after the Islamic conquests of Byzantine Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. Initially, many early issues closely resembled Byzantine bronze coins, sometimes even retaining crosses or imperial portraits with only minor modifications.
By the reforms of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan in the late seventh century, Islamic copper coinage had developed its own distinctive inscriptional style, paralleling the reforms that produced the Islamic dinar and dirham.
Why Was the Fals Important?
The fals was the coin of everyday life.
- Food
- Market purchases
- Local taxes and fees
- Small charitable and religious donations
- Everyday household expenses
Most people in the medieval Islamic world would have handled fals coins far more frequently than gold dinars.
How Big Is a Fals?
Because the fals was struck by many different dynasties over several centuries, there is no single standard.
- Weight About 2 to 8 grams
- Diameter Approximately 15 to 28 mm
- Metal Copper or bronze
Some local issues fall well outside these ranges, reflecting the highly regional nature of copper coinage.
What Appears on a Fals?
Designs changed considerably over time. Early Islamic fals coins sometimes copied Byzantine types before gradually adopting purely Islamic designs.
- Arabic inscriptions
- Qur'anic quotations
- Mint names
- Dates in the Hijri (AH) calendar
- Geometric ornamentation
Portraits largely disappeared from official state issues following Abd al-Malik's monetary reforms, although later regional exceptions do exist.
Was the Fals Based on the Byzantine Follis?
Yes. The fals developed directly from the Byzantine follis that circulated throughout the eastern Mediterranean before the Islamic conquests.
Although the artistic style eventually changed dramatically, the fals inherited the follis's role as the principal base-metal coin used in everyday commerce.
Who Issued Fals Coins?
Many Islamic dynasties struck fals coins across a wide span of territory and time.
- Umayyad Caliphate
- Abbasid Caliphate
- Umayyads of al-Andalus
- Fatimid Caliphate
- Seljuks
- Zengids
- Artuqids
- Ayyubids
- Mamluks
- Regional governors
Because copper coinage was often produced locally, fals coins display tremendous regional diversity.
Was Every Fals Worth the Same?
No. Unlike the gold dinar and silver dirham, the fals was not governed by a universal standard. Its value often depended on local authorities, regional economies, and changing monetary policies.
As a result, a fals issued in one city or dynasty might not have had the same purchasing power as a fals issued elsewhere.
Why Do So Many Fals Coins Look Crude?
Many fals coins were intended for heavy everyday circulation rather than ceremonial or high-value transactions. They were often struck at local mints, produced in large numbers, and handled constantly in daily commerce.
Copper also wears more quickly than gold or silver, so surviving examples frequently appear worn or roughly made.
Are Ancient Fals Coins Rare?
Many fals coins are quite common and affordable. Large hoards have also contributed to the availability of certain common types.
However, certain cities, rulers, and rare dynasties produced issues that are considerably scarcer. Because they circulated heavily in everyday commerce, many surviving examples show significant wear.
Collecting Ancient Fals Coins
Collectors appreciate fals coins for the everyday history they carry in humble copper.
- Affordable Islamic coinage
- Everyday historical artifacts
- Beautiful Arabic calligraphy
- Wide variety of regional styles
- Connections to medieval trade and daily life
Many collectors begin exploring Islamic coinage through fals coins because they remain accessible and historically significant. If you're interested in Islamic denominations, be sure to read our guides to the Dirham, Dinar, Byzantine Follis, and Hexagram.
Although its name and origins can be traced to the Byzantine follis, the fals quickly developed into a diverse family of copper coinages that reflected the political and economic variety of the medieval Islamic world. Used every day in markets, workshops, and city streets, these humble coins connected ordinary people to one of history's greatest trading civilizations.
Used every day in markets, workshops, and city streets, these humble coins connected ordinary people to one of history's greatest trading civilizations.
History wasn't just written. It was minted.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a fals?
The fals was a common copper denomination of the medieval Islamic world, used for everyday transactions and local commerce.
Where does the word fals come from?
The name derives from the Byzantine follis, passing through Greek and Latin before becoming the Arabic fals.
Was the fals made of copper?
Most fals coins were struck in copper or bronze, although the exact composition varied by place and period.
Is the fals related to the Byzantine follis?
Yes. The fals developed directly from the Byzantine follis after the Islamic conquests of the eastern Mediterranean, although it evolved into a distinctly Islamic coinage.
Why are fals coins so different?
Unlike gold dinars and silver dirhams, fals coins were often produced by regional authorities with varying local standards, resulting in tremendous diversity in size, weight, style, and inscriptions.
What is the plural of fals?
The Arabic plural is fulūs (فلوس), a word that is still recognized in many Arabic-speaking regions today.
Are fals coins expensive?
Most fals coins remain among the most affordable medieval Islamic coins, although rare rulers, cities, and exceptional examples can be significantly more valuable.
Can you still buy an ancient fals?
Yes. Authentic fals coins are widely available through ancient coin dealers and auctions, making them an excellent introduction to Islamic numismatics.
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