Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1/2 Dirham - Al-Mu'izz
| Issuer | Fatimid Caliphate / Emirate of Sicily |
|---|---|
| Year | 964-972 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dinar (628/632-1598) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic (Kufic) |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central field displays a small dot within an inner circle, encircled by three concentric registers of Kufic Arabic inscription divided by solid raised circular borders, mirroring the layout of the obverse. The legends, typical of Fatimid Ismaili coinage, include declarations of faith and administrative or mint-related text. The style is consistent with the refined but compact epigraphic treatment seen on Sicilian issues of the Fatimid period. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah moved the Fatimid capital from Ifriqiya to Cairo in 973, but during the window this coin was struck he ruled from al-Mansuriyya near Kairouan while simultaneously holding Sicily through appointed governors. The island's mint output under Fatimid authority was modest and administratively distinct from North African production, which accounts for the attribution complexity that still generates disagreement among specialists working Album 699 attributions.
Sicily would pass out of Fatimid control to the Normans by 1072, making this half-dirham a product of the caliphate's westernmost, and ultimately most temporary, monetary reach.