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Kharuba - Al-Aziz Billah
| Issuer | Fatimid Caliphate - Emirate of Sicily |
|---|---|
| Year | 975-996 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله |
| Reverse description | Central field features the same characteristic stylised wheel or rosette motif as the obverse, with a raised central pellet enclosed by a concentric annular ring and radiating foliate projections in ornamental Kufic script, conveying the name and title of the Fatimid caliph Al-Aziz Billah. The design is contained within a plain raised inner circle and bordered by a row of raised beads at the periphery. The flan is irregular in outline with slight flan flaws, consistent with hammered production at the Siqilliya mint during the late tenth century. |
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| Additional information |
Al-Aziz Billah, the fifth Fatimid Caliph, oversaw the Emirate of Sicily during a period of genuine administrative complexity — the island remained nominally under Fatimid suzerainty while operating with substantial local autonomy under the Kalbid governors. The kharuba, fractional silver at this weight, circulated in a mixed economy where Byzantine, Arab, and Norman commercial networks overlapped in Sicilian ports.
Album's designation as B708 reflects the broader difficulty in attributing these fractions precisely — die links to specific mints remain contested among specialists.