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Dinar - Abu Yahya Abu Bakr II
| Issuer | Hafsid dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1310-1346 |
| 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 |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | The reverse mirrors the obverse layout, presenting a central square cartouche with a beaded inner border enclosing several horizontal lines of Arabic script in Maghrebi calligraphy. The legends within the square likely contain the Shahada or further religious invocations and dynastic titles associated with the Hafsid ruler Abu Yahya Abu Bakr II. A marginal Arabic inscription runs continuously around the outer edge of the coin, filling the circular field between the square and the coin's rim. Pellet decorations accent the corners of the inner square and the surrounding field. The hammered flan gives the coin a characteristically irregular outline typical of medieval North African gold coinage. |
| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Abu Bakr II ruled the Hafsid sultanate for over three decades from Tunis, a tenure long enough to produce substantial gold coinage yet poorly documented in Western numismatic literature relative to its historical importance. The Hafsids at this period controlled the primary Mediterranean conduit for trans-Saharan gold, making their dinars instruments of genuine commercial weight in Genoese and Aragonese trade networks — Aragonese merchants in particular maintained formal treaty relationships with Tunis that specified payment terms in Hafsid gold.
The dynasty's caliphal pretensions, asserted after the Mongol destruction of Baghdad in 1258, are embedded in the coin's religious formulae rather than its imagery.