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1/2 Dinar - Abu Ya'qub Yusuf I
| Issuer | Almohad Caliphate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1163-1184 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.29 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central square panel bearing multiple lines of Arabic inscription in relief, containing Quranic verses and the kalima, arranged in the distinctive Almohad epigraphic style. The square panel is enclosed within a linear frame, surrounded by a circular marginal legend in Arabic script occupying the outer field. The reverse composition mirrors the obverse in its square-within-circle layout, typical of Almohad gold coinage, with the overall surface showing the characteristic irregular flan of hammered production. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Abu Ya'qub Yusuf I inherited the Almohad Caliphate from his father Abd al-Mu'min in 1163 and immediately faced the challenge of consolidating control across both Iberia and the Maghreb. His reign saw the definitive transfer of the Almohad capital's administrative weight toward Seville, which became the effective seat of Andalusian power. The Almohad monetary system was notably rigid in its theological strictness — aniconic by doctrinal necessity, with Quranic inscriptions dominating the coinage in ways that distinguished it sharply from contemporaneous Taifa and Christian Iberian issues.
Yusuf I died in 1184 during the siege of Santarém in Portugal, struck by a crossbow bolt from the city's walls.