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Description

Both sides bear a concentric circle design with script in between the circles.

History Of Use

Gold dinars were the primary currency of the Fatimid Caliphate, a Muslim kingdom based primarily in Egypt. These coins circulated as the dominant currency from North Africa to Syria. Dinars such as this were typically made of between 93%-99% pure gold, ensuring widespread acceptance in markets throughout the Muslim world. The gold likely came from Nubia and the Fatimid economy was highly reliant on this supply for the minting of currency, making the political stability of the region a high priority for Fatimid rulers. For most of the Caliphate's existence, the Fatimids ensured friendly relations with the local people but during the reign of Saladin, in the 12th century, a breakdown in relations led to a gold shortage and economic crisis in Egypt. This then led to the end of the dynasty. The Fatimid Caliphate followed the Shia sect of Islam and ruled in opposition to the previously dominant Abbasid Caliphate, which followed the more conventional Sunni Islam. The Fatimids claimed to be the true political and religious successors of the prophet Muhammad, and the design and minting of dinars reflected this. The concentric design of dinars was fashioned to be distinct, recognizable, and different from other coinage, especially Abbasid coinage. The purity of the coins was meant to indicate the prosperity and reliability of the Fatimid state. These dinars were inscribed with various religious statements, mostly the Shahada or profession of the Muslim faith. Other common inscriptions referred to sections from the Quran, or to the holy titles of the minting ruler. These inscriptions served as an ideological assertion of Fatimid religious authority and legitimacy.

Item History

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