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Almohad Dynasty
Abu Yusuf Ya‘qub
Gold Dinar
穆瓦希德王朝
阿布·優素福·雅各布
金第納爾
Item number: A1478
Year: AD 1163-1184
Material: Gold
Size: 26.8 x 26.8 mm
Weight: 4.6 g
Provenance: Stack’s Bowers 2024
This is a gold dinar issued between AD 1163 and AD 1184 during the reign of Abu Ya’qub Yusuf, also known as Yusuf I, the second caliph of the Almohad Caliphate.
The Almohad dynasty, founded by the theologian Ibn Tumart, who proclaimed himself as the Mahdi, emerged from a Berber background. In order to distinguish itself from the preceding Almoravid dynasty, the Almohad caliphate introduced reforms in coinage, becoming the first Islamic regime to incorporate rectangular shapes into coin designs. Numismatists believe that the adoption of rectangular motifs served not only as a political distinction but also as a reflection of Islamic religious beliefs. The rectangle symbolises the Kaaba in Mecca, one of the holiest sites in Islam, and represents the early period of Islam, specifically the “Rightly Guided Caliphs” era.
The obverse and reverse sides of this coin feature inscriptions rendered in the more fluid Naskh script, replacing the rigid Kufic calligraphy traditionally used. On the obverse, within a rectangular outline and along the outer perimeter, the inscriptions are arranged counterclockwise, beginning at the top. They include the titles and name of Yusuf I: “أمير المؤمنين” (Commander of the Faithful), “أبو يوسف يعقوب” (Abu Yusuf Ya’qub), and the phrase “بن أمير المؤمنين” (son of the Commander of the Faithful), repeated twice.
Inside the rectangular outline, the coin features a total of five lines of inscriptions arranged from top to bottom. These lines represent the various titles of Yusuf I and read as follows: “القائم بأمر الله الخليفه” (The Caliph who stands by the command of God), “ابو محمد عبد المؤمن بن” (Abu Muhammad Abd al-Mu’min ibn), “علي أمير المؤمنين” (Ali, Commander of the Faithful), “أمير المؤمنين أبو يعقوب” (Commander of the Faithful, Abu Ya’qub) and “يوسف بن أمير المؤمنين” (Yusuf, son of the Commander of the Faithful).
The outer rim of the reverse side features inscriptions related to Islamic beliefs, arranged counterclockwise starting from the top. The inscriptions read as follows: “والهكم اله واحد” (Your God is one God), “لا اله الا هو الرحمن الرحيم” (There is no deity but Him, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful), “وَمَا بكم من نعمة فمن الله” (Whatever blessing you have is from God) and “وما توفيقي الا بالله” (My success is only with God).
Inside the rectangle, the five-line inscription contains the Tasmi and the Shahada prayer, arranged vertically from top to bottom. They read as follows: “بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم” (In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful), “صلى الله على محمد وأله” (May God bless Muhammad and his family), “والحمد لله وحده” (Praise be to God alone), “لا إله إلا الله” (There is no god but God), and “محمد رسول الله” (Muhammad is the Messenger of God).
Yusuf I was an accomplished Islamic scholar and a proponent of the Zahiri school of jurisprudence. Beyond his scholarly pursuits, Yusuf I led a military campaign in AD 1170, crossing the sea from Morocco to the Iberian Peninsula to expand his territory into Europe. In AD 1184, he sustained injuries while besieging Santarém in Portugal and ultimately passed away on his return journey to Seville.
這枚錢幣的正反兩面,以較為柔順的納斯赫體取代生硬的庫法體阿拉伯書法打印銘文。於正面的矩形輪廓外圍,從上方出發按照逆時針旋轉,分別打印優素福一世的頭銜和名諱:「أمير المؤمنين」(信士的指揮官)、「أبو يوسف يعقوب」(阿布·優素福·雅各布) 和重複兩遍的「بن أمير المؤمنين」(信士的指揮官之子) 。
矩形內部總計有五行銘文,從上而下,分別是「القائم بأمر الله الخليفه」(服從真主使命的哈里發)、「ابو محمد عبد المؤمن بن」(阿布·穆罕默德·阿卜杜勒·穆敏·伊本)、「علي أمير المؤمنين」(阿里,信士的指揮官)、「أمير المؤمنين أبو يعقوب」(信士的指揮官,阿布·雅各布)和「يوسف بن أمير المؤمنين」(優素福,信士的指揮官之子),即屬於優素福一世的不同稱號。
背面的外圍從上方按逆時針順序,依序打印和伊斯蘭信仰有關的銘文,「والهكم اله واحد」(你的神是獨一的神)、「لا اله الا هو الرحمن الرحيم」(除祂外,別無神明,至仁至慈,至仁至慈)、「وَمَا بكم من نعمة فمن الله」(無論你有什麼祝福,都是從神而來的) 和「وما توفيقي الا بالله」(我的成功只有與神同在)。
矩形內部的五行銘文則是太斯米和清真言禱詞,從上而下,分別是「بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم」 (奉至仁至慈的真主之名)、「صلى الله على محمد وأله」(願真主賜福穆罕默德及其家族)、「والحمد لله وحده」(讚美唯獨真主)、「لا إله إلا الله」(萬物非主,唯有真主) 和「محمد رسول الله」 (穆罕默德是真主的使者)。