Collection

This exhibition puts on public display a total of one hundred and forty eight coins, dating from the 8th to the 15th century, representing different phases of Moorish History on the Iberian Peninsula. On show is a selection of gold, silver and copper coins, organised into different types of series, minted by the authorities that built up the al-Andalus civilisation.

“Throughout the eight hundred years of history of al-Andalus, coins were among the most important instruments of propaganda at the service of Moorish governors, emirs and caliphs. The importance of coins as a mechanism for spreading a new religion and new language, also related to a new cultural expansion, was quickly recognised by central and provincial authorities, who made use of them to disseminate their own concept of civilisation.”

Gold

Minting of gold coins, such as the dinār, was a prerogative of the caliph. The oldest of the series in circulation in the Iberian Peninsula, dating back to the start of the 8th century, feature Latin or Arabic lettering, or even both at the same time, all with Moorish content. They bear witness to a time marked by the Islamisation and Arabic conversion of Iberian societies, mainly of Christian and Jewish origin.

The minting of gold coins was suspended when al-Andalus attained autonomy from the Damascus caliphate in the middle of the 8th century. New coins were only struck in silver and copper for several decades.

The minting of gold coins was recovered at the start of the 10th century, when the first Caliph of Cordoba, ‘Abd al-Raḥmān III, took on the prerogative of issuing gold coins, reserved for the highest authority of Islam.

Following the collapse of the Cordoba caliphate at the start of the 11th century, several emirs carried on with the minting of gold coins. One of the strongest coins was struck by al-Mu’tamid, governor of the taifa of Seville.

The double-dinār emerged during the 12th and 13th centuries. The minting of this coin, which is aesthetically close to perfection, was ordered by the Almohad dynasty. Due to the excellence of this coin, it was quickly imitated by Christian monarchs on the peninsula.

Over a period of nearly eight hundred years, the dinār, considered as an instrument of propaganda, became an important pattern of prestige, minted by caliphs who sought to strengthen their political aspirations.

Silver

The silver coin, the dirham, had the advantage of being more accessible to the general population than gold coins. Its minting was ordered by all of the emirs who governed al-Andalus from the 8th to the 10th centuries.

Minting of the qīrāṭ and the square-shaped dirham began between the 11th and 13th centuries, under the impetus of the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties. The latter coin was produced en masse, meaning that even today it is one of the types of coins most frequently uncovered in Portuguese and Spanish archaeological sites.

Like the dinār, the dirham was aniconic, meaning that it contains no images. In addition to the date of minting and the name of the authority responsible for issuing it, the lettering on this coin includes expressions of faith alluding to the uniqueness of Allāh and the role of Muhammad as his last prophet.

Copper

Due to its low value, the fals copper coin was one of the pieces most accessible to the general population. This coin was minted for the main purpose of supplying currency for basic daily trading.

Highlight

“An exceptional half qīrāṭ, assumed to have been minted in Mértola and attributable to the period of the Second Taifas, from the middle of the 12th century, is the only coin on exhibition to have been struck in modern day Portuguese territory.”