★ A Senmurv countermark ★

ISLAMIC, Umayyad Caliphate. temp. Mu'awiya I ibn Abi Sufyan, AH 41-60 / AD 661-680. Drachm (Silver, 32 mm, 3.72 g, 7 h), Arab-Sasanian, Khosrau type countermarked with Senmurv, SK (Sistan), AH 48 = AD 668/9. Crowned and draped Sasanian-style bust to right; behind head, AFZUT GDH ('may his kingship increase' in Pahlawi); before head, 'HWSRWD' ('Khosrau' in Pahlawi); in outer margin, 'bism Allah' ('In the name of Allah') and 'Rabbi' ('my Lord') in Kufic; in outer margin, countermark of the mythical creature Senmurv (Göbl type 3). Rev. Fire altar with ribbons flanked by two attendants; in upper field to left, star; in upper field to right, crescent; to left, date; to right, SK (name of the mint in Pahlawi). Album 5. SICA I, 358ff. Walker, Arab-Sassanian, p. 20, 27. An attractive example with a sharp countermark. Extremely fine.

This countermark with a Senmurv (Simurgh) - a mythical bird in Persian mythology with the body of a peacock, the head of a dog and the claws of a lion - appears on drachms from mints in Khorasan in circa AH 40-60.