Almoravid dinar

Almoravid dinar

الدينار المرابطي (Arabic)
Dinar minted under Yusuf ibn Tashfin in Aghmat.

The Almoravid dinar (Arabic: الدينار المرابطي) was a gold dinar coin minted under the Almoravid dynasty in the Maghreb and Iberia (al-Andalus).^[1][2] The mints that produced them were supplied by the West African gold mines south of the Sahara desert.^[1][3] The Almoravid dinars circulated widely beyond the reach of the empire; the Christian kingdoms of Iberia called them "marabotins" and "maravedís".^[3]

When the Almoravids conquered Awdaghust around 1054, they gained control over the southern point of the trans-Saharan trade routes.^[1] When Abu Bakr ibn Umar led the capture of the Sijilmasa oases from the Maghrawa, they occupied the northern point.^[1] In this position, the Almoravids were able to control and profit from the trans-Saharan gold trade.^[1] Within two years of taking Sijilmasa, the entry point for gold into North Africa, dinars were struck there in the name of Abu Bakr ibn 'Umar.^[1]

When Yusuf ibn Tashfin officially became amir of the Almoravids in 1087, coins were struck with his name and the volume of production increased.^[1] In addition to Sijilmasa, coins were struck in several new mints, the first of which was in Aghmat in 1093.^[1] The mint in Aghmat had the highest output of any mint in North Africa until 1122, and Muhammad al-Idrisi noted in Nuzhat al-Mushtāq that under the Almoravids the population of Aghmat was the wealthiest.^[1]

From around 1096, Almoravid dinars were struck in al-Andalus, starting in Seville.^[1] There was a notable increase in production around 1104, the year after Ali ibn Yusuf was recognized as the heir to the empire; these coins featured his name along with his father's.^[1] Ronald A. Messier suggests that this was "aimed at publicizing the legitimacy of Ali's 'right' to the throne."^[1]

Under Ali, coin production greatly increased. Dinars were minted in Marrakesh, the newly established Almoravid capital, from around 1097.^[1] Four years later, they were also being minted in Fes, Tlemcen, and Nūl Lamta.^[1] The multiple cities minting coins helped the Almohad sultan solidify his control over distant parts of his empire; his name on the coins functioned as a sort of brand and symbol of authority to preempt possible revolts.^[1]

The greatest extent of Almoravid dinar production started around 1120 and lasted until around 1130; it was the peak of Almoravid prosperity when most of Ali's constructions took place.^[1] The most productive Andalusi mints at this time were in Almería, Seville, and Granada—the most important cities for international commerce.^[1]

With the threat of Ibn Tumart and the Almohad movement, Ali shifted his attention to the African part of his empire.^[1] Around 1130, more Almoravid dinars were made in Africa than in Iberia.^[1] From 1139 to 1146, Ibn Tumart's Almohads waged total war on the Almoravids until finally conquering Marrakesh.^[1] The economic effects of this conflict could be felt even in 1141, when Fesi merchants complained of the Almohad "usurpers."^[1]

The last Almoravid sultan, Ishaq ibn Ali, and some unknown Almoravid rebels minted a few dinars from 1146 to 1151.^[1]

• Almoravid coins and coinage molds found in Algiers, National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Art.
• 
  Almoravid coinage mold, 1117-1116.
• 
  Almoravid coinage mold, 1117-1116.
• 
  Golden coins of the Almoravid dynasty.

The Almoravids traded virtually exclusively with locally produced dinars.^[1] Under the Almoravids, al-Andalus exported goods to North Africa, Egypt, and France, among others. It also imported goods from many different areas, including China, India, Persia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.^[1] Because of the extensive trade network of the Almoravids and the reputed quality of their coins, Mediterranean markets were flooded with Almoravid dinars for almost a century, and they competed with the Fatimid dinar as the dominant currency of Mediterranean trade.^[1]