Help needed with square coin

[Falderal]

Part of an uncleaned batch from the Middle East. One side reads clearly enough to be recognized on sight by anyone who knows the coin. The other has what looks like writing, but the shot doesn't really show it.

Sorry for the poor photos, but I'm still getting set up for proper photography.

(Photos rotated as advised)

[Manzikert]

Hi

It looks like an Ummayad fals from Damascus: the reverse (top) needs to be turned so that the bottom right corner is at the top, and the other side needs to be turned about 20 degrees anticlockwise I think.

I will check further when I get home tonight.

Best wishes

Alan

[Falderal]

Thanks, Manzikert.

I changed the photos and I'm trying to find my calipers to add an accurate measure to the information above, but it's about 18mm from corner-to-corner, 15mm side-to-side and 1.5-2 mm thick. The flan appears decidedly squarish, yet I can't find examples of square flans on any of the Ummayad (also Umayyad) fals. I hope I'm searching properly.

Can anyone tell me the names/meanings of the elements in its symbology? That would narrow it down enough for me to work independently.

[Manzikert]

Hi

I'm afraid you went one corner too far on the rotation, see below.

The design is just inscriptions, except for the little stylised plant above the mintname on the reverse. The obverse is the first part of the muslim declaration of faith: 'There is no god but Allah, he is alone' and the reverse has the plant above the name of the mint 'Dimishq' for Damascus (see the second image). I am not sure what the two words below the mint are.

See http://medievalcoins.ancients.info/cgi-bin/webdata_coinbase.pl?fid=1134082145.31598&query=Realm%3DJund%2BDimashq%26%26pagenum%3D6%26cgifunction%3DSearch&cgifunction=form for a very similar piece, catalogued as Walker [British Museum Catalogue] 816

I think the squareness of the flan is accidental.

Best wishes

Alan

[Falderal]

That's incredible, Manzikert - thanks!

I went right by a number of coins like that one on the Maskukat collection mistaking the bottom of the coin as you point out, and only skimming past anything with a round flan.

Lessons learned:
1) Know which way is up.
2) The flan need not match the common shape.
3) You can always depend on the kindness of strangers.