Almoravid Dynasty

Ishaq Ibn Ali

Gold Dinar

穆拉比特王朝

伊沙克·本·阿里

金第納爾

Item number: A1477

Year: AD 1146-1147 (AH 541)

Material: Gold

Size: 24.3 x 24.3 mm

Weight: 4.15 g

Manufactured by: Marrakech, Morocco

Provenance: Stack’s Bowers 2024

This is a gold dinar minted in the year AH 541 (AD 1146–1147) during the decline of the Almoravid dynasty, which once spanned the Maghreb region of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. The coin was issued by the dynasty’s fifth and final caliph, Ishaq ibn Ali.

The obverse of the gold coin features two concentric circles, inscribed in a Maghrebi variant of Kufic script, a localised form of Arabic calligraphy. At the centre is the Islamic profession of faith, the Shahada: “لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله” (There is no deity but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God). Below the Shahada, the coin bears the name and titles of Ishaq ibn Ali, rendered as “امير المسلمين اسحق” (Amir, Commander of the Faithful, Ishaq), followed by “بن علي بن يوسف” (Son of Ali ibn Yusuf). Ali ibn Yusuf, the second ruler of the dynasty, was Ishaq’s father.

The outer circular inscription on the coin is an excerpt from the Quran, Surah Al-Imran (3:85): “ومن يبتغي غير الإسلام ديناً فلن يُقبل منه وهو في الآخرة من الخاسرين” (And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers).

The reverse of the gold coin also features two concentric circles. At the centre are inscriptions emphasising the ruler’s religious authority, including the titles “الامام” (Al-Imam, The Leader), “عبد الله” (Abd Allah, Servant of God), and “أمير المؤمنين العدل” (Amir al-Mu’minin al-Adl, Commander of the Faithful, The Just). The outer circular inscription provides details of the coin’s minting, reading: “بسم الله ضرب هذا الدينار بمراكش عام أحد وأربعين وخمسمائة” (In the name of God, this dinar was struck in Marrakech in the year AH 541). Marrakech, one of the most significant cities in Morocco, served as the political and administrative centre of the Almoravid dynasty.

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.

Ishaq ibn Ali was the uncle of the fourth caliph, Ibrahim ibn Tashfin. In AD 1147, Ishaq ibn Ali launched a coup to depose the young Ibrahim ibn Tashfin and declared himself the new caliph. However, by this time, the Almoravid dynasty was already on the brink of collapse, facing the mounting threat of the rival Almohad dynasty. In April AD 1147, the Almohads captured the capital, Marrakech, killing both Ishaq and Ibrahim, thereby bringing an end to the Almoravid dynasty’s rule.

物件編號: A1477

年代: 公元 1146-1147 (回曆 541) 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 24.3 x 24.3 mm

重量: 4.15 g

製造地: 馬拉喀什,摩洛哥

來源: SBP錢幣拍賣 2024

這是一枚回曆541年 (公元1146-1147年),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,覆滅之際的第五任也是末代哈里發伊沙克·本·阿里鑄造的金第納爾。

金幣正面有兩道同心圓,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」。下半部是伊沙克·本·阿里的名諱和頭銜「امير المسلمين اسحق 」(埃米爾 信士的指揮官 伊沙克) 和「بن علي بن يوسف」(阿里·本·優素福之子)。阿里·本·優素福為王朝的第二任統治者也是伊沙克的父親。

外圍的環形銘文摘錄自《古蘭經3:85》「ومن يبتغي غير الإسلام ديناً فلن يُقبل منه وهو في الآخرة من الخاسرين」,意思是「舍伊斯蘭教而尋求別的宗教的人,他所尋求的宗教,絕不被接受,他在後世,是虧折的」。

金幣背面亦有兩道同心圓,於正中央打印「الامام」(伊瑪目)、「عبد الله」(阿不都阿拉) 和「أمير المؤمنين العدل 」(信士的指揮官,正義) 等凸顯統治者宗教權威的頭銜。外圍的環形銘文則描述這枚錢幣的鑄造時間和地點「بسم الله ضرب هذا الدينار بمراكش عام أحد وأربعين وخمسمائة」(奉真主之名,這一枚第納爾於回曆541年鑄造於馬拉喀什)。馬拉喀什是摩洛哥最重要的城市之一,也是穆拉比特王朝的統治中心。

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。

伊沙克·本·阿里為第四任哈里發易卜拉欣·本·塔什芬的叔叔。公元1147年,伊沙克·本·阿里發動政變推翻年幼的易卜拉欣·本·塔什芬成為新任哈里發,然而彼時王朝面臨挑戰者穆瓦希德王朝的威脅已搖搖欲墜。公元1147年4月,穆瓦希德王朝攻破首都馬拉喀什,將叔姪兩人殺害就此結束穆拉比特王朝的統治。

類似/相同物件 請看:

英國 大英博物館 The British Museum

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/C_OR-7415

ZENO.RU – Oriental Coins Database 網站

https://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=276951&cat=18866&ppuser=&sortby=d&way=desc

更多相關訊息請參考:

Ronald A. Messier, “The Almoravids: West African Gold and the Gold Currency of the Mediterranean Basin,” Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 1974, pp. 31-47

Ronald A. Messier, “Quantitative Analysis of Almoravid Dinars,” Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 1980, pp. 102-118

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