Fals: Medieval Islamic Copper Coin Denomination

Illustrated Specimen Details: Fals (Sultanate of Rum)

Example Specimen: Copper Fals, 1196-1204 AD

Authority: Issued by Suleiman II (Rukn ad-Din Suleiman Shah), the Seljuk Sultan of Rûm. The Sultanate of Rum was a Turco-Persian Sunni state in Anatolia (modern Türkiye), founded on lands conquered from the Byzantine Empire. It flourished from 1077 until its fragmentation into beyliks around 1307.

Design & Inscriptions: The obverse features a dynamic depiction of a horseman galloping right, holding a three-forked scepter, situated between two stars. The reverse contains Arabic inscriptions detailing the ruler's name, titles, and the minting city. While some numismatists may debate if large copper issues of this period are bronze dirhems, the majority of catalogs identify this specific type as a fals.

1. ISLAMIC & CENTRAL ASIAN STATES (7th-19th centuries): copper fals (plural: fulus) — lowest denomination in the system: fals ⟶ dirhem ⟶ gold dinar.

FALS as a coin name: The fals is a medieval copper Arabic coin minted from the 7th century until the 19th century. It usually represented the smallest unit of currency for many historical issuers across the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.

Origins, Evolution, and Varieties of the Fals

The name fals (plural: fulus) has a direct connection to European antiquity. It is a linguistic adaptation of the Roman and Byzantine follis, a coin that was widely circulated in the Levant before the Islamic conquests.

From Follis to Fals

When the Umayyad Caliphate first began issuing its own coinage, the earliest fals designs were struck as close imitations of their Byzantine predecessors. Over time, however, the design became more distinctly Islamic. While many issues were purely epigraphic — focusing on the name of the ruler, the mint city, and religious phrases — a significant number of fals coins featured rich iconography. Issuers like the Seljuks of Rum or the Artuqids often decorated their copper coins with images of horsemen, mythical creatures, birds, and zodiac symbols.

Geography and Variants

The popularity of the fals spread rapidly, leading to numerous regional variations and derived names. In North Africa, particularly Morocco, it is known as the falus. In the modern era, the name persists as the fils, which serves as a fractional unit in countries like Iraq, Jordan, and the UAE.

Historically, the fals was an essential tool for everyday life. While silver dirhems and gold dinars were used for large-scale trade and taxes, the copper fals was the "market coin" used for purchasing food and basic goods. This high circulation meant that many coins found today show significant wear, yet they remain vital historical documents.

Modern Cultural Impact

The linguistic legacy of this coin is profound. In many modern Arabic-speaking countries, the word fulus (فلوس) has evolved to become a general term for "money," much like "cash" in English or "гроші" in Ukrainian. From a numismatic standpoint, the fals represents a bridge between the classical Roman world and the medieval Islamic period, showcasing a blend of artistic traditions and economic continuity.