Imitative dirham, Khazaria, 850s
This coin looks like a regular Abbasid dirham to the untrained eye, but in fact it is an imitation made in the 850s in the Khazar Empire, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
In the 9th century, the trade route from the Abbasid Caliphate to Scandinavia passed through the Khazar Empire. The Khazars acted as intermediaries, providing a safe marketplace in return for taxes. In the 10th century, the power of the Khazars declined as the Volga Bulgars and the Kievan Rus' grew stronger. The political power wielded by the Abbasids over the Caliphate was already weakening in the latter half of the 9th century.
