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Bezant 'Saracen' - Anonymous Crusader imitation - 2nd type - Tyre
| Issuer | Kingdom of Jerusalem |
|---|---|
| Year | 1187-1260 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central field bears a multi-line Arabic inscription arranged in concentric registers, imitating Fatimid dinar typology. The innermost circle contains the shahada or caliph's name rendered in debased Arabic script, surrounded by two intermediate circular bands of Arabic religious text, all enclosed within a plain linear border. The outermost marginal legend runs continuously around the periphery in Arabic characters separated by decorative pellets or small ornaments. The engraving is bold but crude, reflecting the Crusader workshop's imperfect command of Arabic letterforms. |
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| Mintage | ND (1187-1260) |
| Additional information |
The Crusader states struck these gold imitations of Fatimid dinars out of stark commercial necessity — Muslim merchants in the Levant refused to accept coins bearing Christian imagery, forcing the Frankish mints to reproduce Arabic inscriptions they could not read and a design whose religious significance they were actively suppressing. The Tyre mint produced this second type in the decades following Hattin, when Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem in 1187 stripped the kingdom of its principal city and compressed its productive territory to a coastal rump.
The .833 fineness, slightly below the Fatimid standard it imitates, was recognized quickly enough that later papal prohibition followed — Innocent IV formally condemned their production in 1253, giving this type a hard terminus only seven years before Acre made the point moot.