Dirham of Harun al-Rashid, Madina-t al-Salam (Baghdad) 799 - 800

Curator: This is a dirham of Harun al-Rashid, minted in Madina-t al-Salam, or Baghdad, and currently held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's small, unassuming, almost worn smooth by time and use. Makes you wonder about all the hands it passed through. Curator: Precisely. As currency, its material composition and design served a very specific purpose, facilitating trade and projecting the power of the Abbasid Caliphate. Editor: It feels heavy with history, though, not just commerce. A little portal back to old Baghdad. Curator: Indeed, each strike of the die, each circulation, is a testament to the economic and social structures of its time. Editor: It definitely makes me reflect on the artistry embedded in even the most functional objects. Curator: Absolutely, and this dirham offers a tangible link to the material realities of daily life. Editor: Exactly! The stories this little coin could tell about value, exchange, and the human touch.