Lot 4237

Description

Rassid Imams of Sa'da, First Period, al Nasir, (A.H. 301-325) (A.D. 913-937), silver sudaysi, Sa'da mint, not dated, (A.1068, M.-). Round very fine and scarce.

The Rassids were leaders of a moderate Shiite sect with origins in the Caspian littoral of Iran. They settled in Yemen, which they believed correctly to be a fertile ground for proselytizing their philosophy. The Imamate they founded in A.D. 898 survived until A.D. 1962, when a republic was proclaimed. Their coinage was somewhat sporadic with a first period from A.D. 898 to 937 and another from 1185 to 1390 and the third period under Sharif al-Din 1506-1558 (see next lot).