Normal arabic inscriptions on both sides. Mint of Medinat al-Shash (Chach, modern Tashkent). 22mm, 2.3 grams. Album A1441; Zeno 98153.

Scarcer dateless type.

The Samanids were a Persianate Muslim dynasty that ruled over Central Asia and elsewhere from 819 to 999 CE, with their capital at Bukhara. They began as governors under the Abbasid Caliphate but became effectively independent, establishing one of the first native Persian dynasties after the Arab conquest. The Samanid era is often seen as a renaissance of Persian culture, language, and identity. They promoted Persian literature, sponsoring great poets like Rudaki, and supported the use of New Persian written in Arabic script, helping it flourish as a literary language.