Dirham of Al-Walid I, Sabur 708 - 709

Curator: The Dirham of Al-Walid I, struck in Sabur, offers a glimpse into the Umayyad Caliphate's economic and political landscape. The Harvard Art Museums houses this fascinating artifact. Editor: It's incredibly evocative—the worn silver surface, the intricate calligraphy... It feels like holding a piece of history, a tangible link to a powerful empire. Curator: Indeed, the inscriptions are more than just decoration. They are proclamations of power, bearing witness to Al-Walid's reign and the assertion of Islamic authority. Editor: The very act of minting coins with these symbols would have been powerful, unifying a vast territory through shared visual language and religious identity. Curator: Precisely. It's fascinating how a simple coin embodies complex social and political forces, becoming a powerful emblem of a ruling dynasty and its cultural aspirations. Editor: Seeing how symbols endure and adapt over time, and even on such a small scale, reminds us that cultural memory is carried in the most unexpected places.