Artuqid Bronze Dirham of Najm al-Din Alpi — The Seleucid Portrait Type

Own a Medieval Islamic Coin Featuring the Face of an Ancient Greek King

A real bronze dirham of Najm al-Din Alpi, struck by the Artuqid rulers of Mardin and featuring the remarkable portrait of the Seleucid king Antiochus VII Sidetes—revived more than a thousand years after his reign.

$250.00

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🏛 Struck nearly 900 years ago during the age of the Crusades
⚔ Features the portrait of a Hellenistic Seleucid king reused on medieval Islamic coinage
🌍 A remarkable fusion of Islamic, Byzantine, and classical artistic traditions

📷 Photos show the exact coin you will receive.

Own This Piece of History

Why This Coin Matters

Few medieval Islamic coins illustrate the continuity of civilizations as dramatically as this remarkable Artuqid bronze dirham.

It was struck under Najm al-Din Alpi, who ruled the Artuqid emirate of Mardin from AD 1152 to 1176. His kingdom occupied one of the great crossroads of the medieval world, where Islamic, Byzantine, Armenian, and Crusader states met through trade, diplomacy, and warfare.

Rather than creating an entirely new portrait, the engravers chose to revive the image of Antiochus VII Sidetes, one of the last great kings of the Seleucid Empire, who had ruled more than 1,300 years earlier. Across the king's neck appears Najm al-Din Alpi's laqab, seamlessly combining the portrait of a Hellenistic monarch with Arabic inscriptions proclaiming the authority of a medieval Islamic ruler.

The reverse carries a bold four-line Kufic inscription, reflecting the elegant Arabic calligraphy that became a defining feature of Islamic coinage. Together, the classical portrait and Islamic inscriptions create one of the most distinctive designs in medieval numismatics.

Coins like this were struck in a region where the legacies of the Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Persian, and Islamic worlds overlapped. Rather than rejecting earlier artistic traditions, the Artuqids adapted them into something entirely new, producing some of the most imaginative coinage of the Middle Ages.

Today, these Seleucid Portrait dirhams are prized for their rarity, historical significance, and extraordinary blend of civilizations. Few coins better demonstrate how ideas, art, and culture could endure across more than a millennium of history.

Perfect For

• Medieval Islamic coin collectors
• Hellenistic and Seleucid history enthusiasts
• Collectors of unusual portrait coinage
• Students of the Crusades and medieval history
• Anyone seeking a historically rich and visually distinctive artifact

What You'll Receive

• The exact bronze dirham pictured
• Civilization: Artuqid Dynasty
• Ruler: Najm al-Din Alpi (AD 1152–1176)
• Mint: Mardin
• Century: 12th Century AD
• Denomination: Bronze Dirham
• Type: Seleucid Portrait (Antiochus VII Sidetes)
• Guaranteed authentic

Continue the Story

The Artuqids produced some of the most innovative coinage of the medieval world, blending the artistic traditions of antiquity with the rich culture of the Islamic Golden Age.

Explore our other medieval Islamic coins to discover the remarkable rulers, cities, and civilizations that flourished during the age of the Crusades.

Buy with Confidence

• Guaranteed authentic ancient coin
• Carefully sourced and verified
• 30-day return policy
• Secure shipping from the U.S.

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