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1 Dirham - Abu'l-Hassan 'Ali
| Issuer | Wattasid dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1526-1554 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Irregular square flan bearing multiple lines of Arabic script arranged within a plain rectangular border enclosed by a dotted inner border. The field displays stacked lines of religious or dynastic legend in Maghrebi Kufic-influenced script, with individual letter forms boldly raised in relief against a flat ground. The legends are divided into horizontal registers separated by linear fillets. The overall fabric is characteristic of Wattasid hammered silver coinage, with slightly uneven striking typical of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
The Wattasids ruled Morocco in a period of compounding crises — Portuguese fortresses controlled key Atlantic ports, the Saadian sharifs were pushing hard from the south, and the dynasty's grip on Fez itself was intermittent at best. Abu'l-Hassan 'Ali reigned through this instability, and the coinage reflects it: weights fluctuate across surviving examples, suggesting minting conditions that were anything but controlled. The A#Z549 reference type is sparsely documented, and attributions rely heavily on stylistic comparison rather than archival mint records.