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Dirham - al-Hakam II Madinat al-Zahra 360 AH
| Issuer | Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba (Córdoba, Al-Andalus and Ceuta) |
|---|---|
| Year | 360 (971) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.7 g |
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| Reverse description | The reverse field is entirely epigraphic, displaying three lines of Kufic Arabic script within a single circular border. The central legend identifies the issuing authority: 'The Imam al-Hakam, Commander of the Faithful, al-Mustansir bi-llah.' A circular marginal legend surrounds the central field, bearing the Quranic verse (9:33): 'Muhammad is the messenger of God, who sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over all religions, even if the polytheists are averse.' The angular Kufic lettering is boldly struck and consistent with official Umayyad Andalusian mint production. The flan exhibits the characteristic irregular outline of a hand-struck hammered coin. |
| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Al-Hakam II ruled from 961 to 976 and presided over arguably the most intellectually active court in tenth-century Europe — his personal library at Córdoba reportedly held some 400,000 volumes at a time when most European monasteries counted their collections in the hundreds. Madinat al-Zahra, the palatine city commissioned by his father Abd al-Rahman III, functioned as the official mint site for the Córdoban caliphate at its political apex. Dirhams struck there during al-Hakam's reign are distinguished by consistently high silver fineness, a standard his administration maintained with notable discipline relative to later Umayyad issues.
360 AH falls just fifteen years before the caliphate's slow institutional collapse under the regent al-Mansur.