Fatimid dinar

This coin is representative of the new style of striking coins inaugurated during the reign of al-Mansūr. It is characterised by the presence of three circles on both sides, comprising concentric inscriptions separated by an empty ring. This new style resulted from the will of the sovereign to break with all that was reminiscent of the methods of striking used by the famous anti-Fatimid rebel Abū Yazīd Makhlad ibn Kaydad[1] (known as the “Man on the Donkey”).

The inscriptions are repetitive and refer to Shiite dogma. Later, the formulas reflected Shiite doctrine still more clearly, with the use of expressions such as “ʻAlī is the best of the chosen of God”, “ʻAlī, the beloved of God” and “ʻAlī, son of Abū Talīb, the messenger of the Prophet, the illustrious man of merits and spouse of al-Zahrā’ [Fatima, daughter of the Prophet] the devoted [to Allāh]”.

The raised Kufic script is very elegant. Aesthetically, it clearly differs from the Umayyad coins of contemporary Spain.

Fatimid-style coins spread through the central Maghreb and Morocco to Fès, Sicily and southern Italy. Later, after the founding of Cairo, this model spread to Egypt, Syria and the port city of Elat on the Red Sea. The aesthetic uniqueness that characterised this geographical region is striking, as is the loyalty of the Fatimids of Cairo to the formulas and script developed in Ifriqiya. Coins struck in Fustāt, Cairo and various locations in Upper and Lower Egypt – now in the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo – which may be dated from the mid-tenth century to the mid-twelfth century, present remarkable analogies with Ifriqiyan Fatimid coins. Similarly, Fatimid coins found in Algeria[2], Morocco and Sicily during the Kalbid dynasty (947–1040), barely differed from this prototype.

Note that the Umayyads of Spain, while distinguishing themselves from the Fatimids in terms of the formulas inscribed on their coins, curiously imitated them by opting for the principle of three concentric circles, unless they are referring in this case to the coins of their Syrian Umayyad ancestors, whose dirham was characterised by the presence of several circles[3].

The first Ayyubid coins also imitated the Fatimid dinar[4]. They feature three circular legends around a short central inscription as well as the name of the caliph or sultan.

Moreover, the Fatimid dinar, especially during the reign of Caliph al-Mu’izz (953–75), was of good quality and much sought after in Mediterranean trading circles. It bore, according to literary and historical sources, such as the genizah, the name of al mu’izziyya. Specimens of Fatimid dinars have been found all over Europe – in Italy, Sardinia, Switzerland, Poland and Sweden – which attests to the strength of the commercial ties between the two shores of the Mediterranean during this period.

[2] Now in the museums of Cirta and Algiers.

[3] Umayyad dirham, Syria, 709, embossed silver, Museo Nazionale d’Arte Orientale, Rome, inv. 8493/9774.

[4] Dinar, gold, Cairo, 1178–79, National Museum of Damascus, inv. A/30178.