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!
Dinar - Abu Hammu Mûsâ I
| Issuer | Zayyanid dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1308-1318 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Hammered |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central square field filled with multiple lines of Arabic inscription in Maghribi script, naming the ruler Abu Hammu Musa I and including his titles and lineage, along with additional pious formulae. A continuous marginal Arabic legend borders the central square on all four sides. The reverse follows the same square-in-circle compositional scheme as the obverse, consistent with Zayyanid and broader Maghrebi dinar typology. The strike is bold though slightly irregular, reflecting the hand-hammered production method. Decorative border elements and a beaded rim frame the design on the roughly circular flan. |
| Reverse script | Arabic |
| 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 |
Abu Hammu Mûsâ I ruled Tlemcen during one of the most violent periods in the city's history, his reign bookended by the prolonged Marinid siege that had already strangled the capital for years before his succession. The Zayyanids — also known as the Abd al-Wadids — held Tlemcen as a commercial hub linking sub-Saharan gold routes to Mediterranean ports, which explains the consistent quality of their gold coinage even under military pressure.
The Marinid blockade, begun under Abu Yaqub in 1299, lasted until 1307, meaning Abu Hammu's early years of issue coincide almost exactly with the city's reopening to trade.