ZIYARID (IN TABARISTAN)

315-420 AH

Except for the coins of Mardawij, struck in mints in central Iran (notably Mah al-Basra & Karaj), all Ziyarid coins were struck at Amul, Astarabad, Jurjan and Sariya (= Sari) in Tabaristan, plus al-Hawsam in Gilan. The last mint is very rare. Ziyarid silver and billon coins are generally poorly struck and unattractive. There was no fixed weight for the dirham, which can vary from less than 1.5 to more than 5 grams, thus weighed instead of counted for payments.