Arabization of Islamic currency
The Arabization of Islamic coinage went through several gradual stages. Changing the circulating currency was not an easy task, and the internal conflicts within the Caliphate greatly hindered the process. When Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan was proclaimed Caliph in Damascus, he did not effectively control most of the Caliphate's territories, and years passed before he was able to…
January 6, 2023Ancient CoinsCleopatra III
Cleopatra III was a difficult woman even by the standards of the Ptolemaic queens, who were known for their strength, thirst for power, and willingness to commit despicable acts in order to dominate. She was the woman who rebelled against her mother, plotted to remove her eldest son, and installed the youngest in his place to make him easier to control. This youngest then killed her…
December 10, 2022Ancient CoinsKingdom Bacteria
The Greek kingdom of Bactria, located in the far east of the Hellenistic world, was situated between India and Iran, encompassing present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. Its capital was called Bactria, or Bakhtra, which is the modern-day city of Balkh in Afghanistan. The similarity in the name is clear, as you can see…
December 1, 2022Ancient CoinsNob Nefer currency
The Nubnefer or Tachos coin is one of the oldest Egyptian coins. This particular Nubnefer coin was minted around 350 BC, during the reign of King Nectanebo II of the 33rd Dynasty. On the obverse, you can see Greek influences in the horse motif. On the reverse, you can see two Egyptian symbols…
November 30, 2022Ancient CoinsThe Emperor God
The Emperor as God… The Reason for the Name: Why was the emperor called God? During the Roman Republic, the deification of rulers was unthinkable, but after the expansion eastward and the rise of the Roman Empire, and after Octavian became Augustus Caesar, the situation changed. The same thing had happened previously with the Greeks; before Alexander the Great's eastward expansions, the idea of…
November 29, 2022Ancient CoinsOldest coins of Jerusalem
What are the oldest coins of Jerusalem? One of the oldest coins of Jerusalem, if not the oldest of all, is a silver drachma minted at the beginning of the 4th century BC (we can also call the denomination a "quarter shekel" according to the Phoenician standard). The design is unique; on the obverse, we see a female frontal image representing a strange fusion between the Egyptian goddess Hathor and the Greek Medusa. The shape of the face and…
November 28, 2022Ancient CoinsGaza's forgotten treasure
Let's explore the story of Gaza's forgotten treasure in detail. The discovery of the Gaza treasure occurred around the mid-1960s when a fisherman named Salama discovered a hoard of ancient coins in the sea off Gaza. The hoard consisted of 29 silver pieces of varying weights and styles. He immediately went to a goldsmith in Gaza, Khader Yousef Tarzi, who was known for buying antique coins, and…
May 26, 2022PhilatelyPostage stamps…an unconventional weapon in 2022
The postage stamp and war: Over time, the postage stamp lost much of its primary function as a means of payment for postal services, but it did not lose its other ancient function, which began with the printing of the first postage stamp; namely, propaganda, and here we mean propaganda of all kinds: political, cultural, economic, and touristic…
April 20, 2022Ancient CoinsShajar al-Durr dinars
Shajar al-Durr... Queen of the Muslims, the Guardian of the World and Religion, Umm Khalil al-Salihiyya. Shajar al-Durr, a slave of Turkish origin, was one of the concubines of King al-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub. She possessed sharp intelligence, a strong personality, and captivating beauty—a combination that, when combined in a woman, gives her a powerful influence on men. And if these men...
March 12, 2022