FROM SOURCE:

A planchet or "blank" ready to be struck as a coin is placed between two dies, and the upper die is then struck with a hammer. With every strike, the image and inscriptions on the dies are impressed a little more upon the blank. Metal, hence transformed, becomes a brand new entity, takes on new meaning once out of the mould.

In every epoch throughout history coins have signified more than the sum total of the materials from which they were made and their production processes, instead becoming symbols of independence and power. Issuing coins in their name upon taking the throne has always been considered a crucial display of sovereignty for rulers.

No coinage was struck in the early years of Islam, and Muslims used the existing Eastern Roman and Sassanid (Sasanian) monetary systems. In later centuries, having coins minted/issued and a khutba (Friday sermon) delivered in one's name became an important source of legitimacy in Islamic states as well.

Gold coins minted were called "dinar", silver coins "dirham" (also known as "drachma"), and copper coins "fats': The issuing of gold coins was usually considered the most important indicator of the legitimacy of a ruler's reign. Almost all great dynasties to have ruled in the region, from the times it was called Amid to today's Diyarbakir, have had their own gold coins issued.
The minting of coins here for nearly a thousand years without interruption is but one indication that Diyarbakir has retained its importance throughout the ages. The issuance of gold coins by great dynasties demonstrates the city's political weight, but also provides significant present-day proof as to the dynamism of its economic life.