1/2 Dirham - Al-Mu'izz

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.