Oliver White
Head of Department
Lot 57
A pair of Almohad gold dinar mules of Muhammad al-Nasir (AD 1199-1213) and Abu-Hafs 'Umar al-Murtada (AD 1248-1266) North Africa, 13th Century(2)
11 June 2020, 11:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£3,500 - £4,500
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A pair of Almohad gold dinar mules of Muhammad al-Nasir (AD 1199-1213) and Abu-Hafs 'Umar al-Murtada (AD 1248-1266)
North Africa, 13th Century
North Africa, 13th Century
each with central square cartouches filled with inscription in naskhi, the borders with further inscriptions in naskhi, both extremely fine, very rare
30 and 32 mm. approx.; 4.65 and 4.64 g.(2)
30 and 32 mm. approx.; 4.65 and 4.64 g.(2)
Footnotes
See Stephen Album, Checklist of Islamic Coins, Santa Rosa, 2011, nos. 485 and 491.
Inscriptions: the shahadah.
The Almohad dynasty (from the Arabic al-Muwahhidun) was a North African Berber Muslim movement founded in around AD 1120, who by AD 1159 had extended their power over all of the Maghreb. Al-Andalus soon followed, and all of Muslim Iberia was under their rule by AD 1170. The issues of the Almohad are generally considered to be the most artistic use of calligraphy to be found on medieval Islamic coins.
In numismatics, a mule is a coin minted with obverse and reverse designs not normally seen on the same piece. These can be intentional or produced in error, and are generally very rare and sought after by collectors. In this instance, a die from the reign of two different rulers has been used, and this might imply that the coins were produced during a transitional period in leadership.