Scarce AR dirham of Ismail (997-998 CE) w/Samanid Mansur II, Farwan mint, Ghaznavids

La ilaha illa Allah wahdahu la sharika lahu (first part of the Muslim profession of fatih, the Shahadah), At-Ta’i Billah (The deposed Abbasid caliph) in the fourth line // Lillah  Muhammad Rasul Allah Mansur bin Nuh, Isma’il. Farwan mint. 17mm, 2.96 grams. Album 1601.

Abu’l Harith Mansur II bin Nuh the Samanid ruler from 997-999 AH and the overlord of the Ghaznavids at the time.

This is a so called ‘narrow‘ silver dirham of Amir Isma’il who succeeded his father Amir Sebuktegin as the second ruler of the Emirate of Ghazni (a vassalage of the Samanids at that point in time), situated on the eastern frontier of medieval Islam Caliphate. He ruled for less than a year, from 387 AH (997 CE) to 388 AH (998 CE), before being deposed by his half-brother: the future Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni.