Item number: A1334

Year: AD 1106-1142

Material: Gold

Size: 23.8 x 23.8 mm

Weight: 3.95 g

Provenance: Heritage Auctions 2024

This is a dinar gold coin minted during the reign of Ali ibn Yusuf, the fifth emir of the Almoravid dynasty, which once spanned the Maghreb region of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Ali ibn Yusuf ruled from AD 1106 to AD 1143.

The obverse design of the coin features two concentric circles. At the centre, written in a localised variant of Arabic Kufic script known as Maghrebi, is the Muslim Shahada declaration: “لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله” (There is no deity but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God). Below this is the emir’s title and name, Ali ibn Yusuf. The outer circular inscription consists of selected verses from the Qur’an.

The reverse of the coin also features a two-concentric-circle design. At the centre are inscriptions commonly used on Almoravid dinars, emphasising the ruler’s religious authority: “الامام” (Al-Imam), “عبد الله” (Abd Allah), and “أمير المؤمنين” (Commander of the Faithful). The outer inscription details the coin’s minting location and the Islamic Hijri year, crafted in the name of God.

The Almoravid dynasty was an Islamic empire established by the Sanhaja Berbers of North Africa in the 11th century. At its peak, the dynasty controlled the Maghreb region of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Due to its dominance over the trans-Saharan gold trade, which linked West Africa with the Mediterranean, the Almoravid dinar became widely accepted in both Europe and the Islamic world.

During the reign of Ali ibn Yusuf, the Battle of Ourique occurred in AD 1139 between the Almoravid dynasty and the County of Portugal. In this pivotal conflict, Afonso I, the Count of Portugal, defeated a numerically superior Almoravid force and killed five Taifa rulers (local governors) of the Almoravid dynasty. This victory not only secured his independence from Almoravid influence but also marked a decisive step in the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal.

物件編號: A1334

年代: 公元 1106-1142 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 23.8 x 23.8 mm

重量: 3.95 g

來源: 海瑞德拍賣行 2024

這是一度橫跨北非馬格里布地區和伊比利亞半島的穆拉比特王朝，在第五任埃米爾阿里·伊本·優素福的統治期間 (公元1106至1143年)鑄造的第納爾金幣。

錢幣正面設計為兩道同心圓，以本土化的阿拉伯庫法書法變體「馬格里布體」，於正中央打印穆斯林熟悉的清真言禱詞「لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله」即「萬物非主，唯有真主，穆罕默德是真主唯一的使者」，下半段則是阿里·伊本·優素福的埃米爾頭銜和名諱，外圍的環形銘文則是節錄自《古蘭經》章節。

錢幣背面亦有兩道同心圓設計，中央是穆拉比特王朝第納爾通用的銘文「الامام」(伊瑪目)、「عبد الله」(阿不都阿拉) 和「أمير المؤمنين」(信士的長官)等凸顯統治者宗教權威的頭銜。外圍的銘文則描述這枚錢幣奉真主名義鑄造的地點和回曆年份。

穆拉比特王朝為北非的桑哈賈柏柏爾人在公元11世紀建立的伊斯蘭王朝，鼎盛時期控制北非馬格里布地區和伊比利亞半島。由於穆拉比特王朝控制西非和環地中海之間的跨撒哈拉沙漠黃金貿易，使得穆拉比特王朝鑄造的第納爾金幣在歐洲和伊斯蘭世界被廣為接納。

阿里·伊本·優素福在位期間，公元1139年穆拉比特王朝和葡萄牙伯國發生奧里基戰役。葡萄牙伯爵阿方索一世在這場戰役擊殺五位穆拉比特王朝的泰法(諸侯王)，以寡敵眾擺脫穆拉比特王朝建立獨立的葡萄牙王國。