750-800

The Abbasid Caliphate was the third Islamic caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It extended from north Africa, through Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to modern-day Iraq. The Abbasid dynasty descended from Muhammad's youngest uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, and for most of Caliphate's existence the dynasty ruled from Baghdad. They produced three types of coins: dinar (gold), dirham (silver), and fals (copper).
The dirham was a unit of weight used across North Africa, the Middle East, and Persia, with varying values which also referred to the type of coins used in the Middle East during the Viking Age. These coins were extremely prized possessions not only for their silver value but as a way of displaying one’s wealth and vast trade connections. Millions of Arabic Dirhams would have been imported throughout the Viking world and are mostly found in hoards, some of which are as far afield as Lincolnshire England, Kaupang Norway and Birka Sweden.