Rare Islamic Coin Highlights Historical Economic Transformation at Jeddah House of Islamic Arts

The House of Islamic Arts in Jeddah offers visitors a unique journey into the early centuries of Islamic history through its rare collection. The museum showcases aspects of daily life in Islamic civilization, featuring items from metalwork, ceramics, and pottery to significant manuscripts and textiles associated with the Holy Kaaba and the Prophet's Chamber.

 A highlight of the museum is its Islamic numismatics pavilion, which houses a collection of coins documenting the evolution of currency over fifteen centuries. It documents a pivotal historical milestone: the minting of the first purely Islamic coin. This economic transformation occurred during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan in the first century AH.

 This groundbreaking coin dispensed with foreign symbols and, crucially, bore the declaration of faith (Shahada). It became an unparalleled cultural and economic symbol, marking the point when the Islamic civilization moved from trading the currencies of other nations to creating its own distinct monetary identity. The coin's inscription also carried the first features of written Islamic art.

 This historic currency is displayed today at the House of Islamic Arts, documenting a pivotal stage in the journey of Islamic civilization.