The Almoravid dinar () was a

gold dinar The gold dinar () is an Islamic medieval gold coin first issued in AH 77 (696–697 CE) by Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. The weight of the dinar is 1 mithqal (). The word ''dinar'' comes from the Latin word denarius, which was ...

coin minted under the

Almoravid dynasty The Almoravid dynasty () was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almo ...

in the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...

and

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...

(

al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...

). The mints that produced them were supplied by the West African gold mines south of the Sahara desert.{{Cite web, title=Qantara - The Almoravid dynasty (1056-1147), url=https://www.qantara-med.org/public/show_document.php?do_id=595&lang=en, website=www.qantara-med.org, access-date=2020-05-25 The Almoravid dinars circulated widely beyond the reach of the empire; the Christian kingdoms of Iberia called them "''marabotins''" and " ''maravedís''".

History

When the

Almoravids The Almoravid dynasty () was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almo ...

conquered Awdaghust around 1054, they gained control over the southern point of the trans-Saharan trade routes. When

Abu Bakr ibn Umar Abu Bakr ibn Umar ibn Ibrahim ibn Turgut, sometimes suffixed al-Sanhaji or al-Lamtuni (died 1087; ) was a chieftain of the Lamtuna Berber Tribe and Amir of the Almoravids from 1056 until his death. He is credited to have founded the Moroccan c ...

led the capture of the

Sijilmasa Sijilmasa (; also transliterated Sijilmassa, Sidjilmasa, Sidjilmassa and Sigilmassa) was a medieval Moroccan city and trade entrepôt at the northern edge of the Sahara in Morocco. The ruins of the town extend for five miles along the River Ziz ...

oases from the

Maghrawa The Maghrawa or Meghrawa () were a large Berber tribal confederation in North Africa. They are the largest branch of the Zenata confederation. Their traditional territories around the time of Muslim expansion into the Maghreb in the 7th century ...

, they occupied the northern point. In this position, the Almoravids were able to control and profit from the trans-Saharan gold trade. 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. When

Yusuf ibn Tashfin Yusuf ibn Tashfin, also Tashafin, Teshufin, (; reigned c. 1061 – 1106) was a Sanhaja leader of the Almoravid Empire. He cofounded the city of Marrakesh and led the Muslim forces in the Battle of Sagrajas. Yusuf ibn Tashfin came to al-And ...

officially became ''

amir Emir (; ' (), also transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremonial authority. The title has ...

'' of the Almoravids in 1087, coins were struck with his name and the volume of production increased. In addition to Sijilmasa, coins were struck in several new mints, the first of which was in

Aghmat Aghmat ( Tashelhit: ''Aɣmat'', ''Āghmāt''; pronounced locally ''Ughmat, Uɣmat'') was an important commercial medieval Berber town in Morocco. It is today an archaeological site known as "Joumâa Aghmat". The city is located approximately 30& ...

in 1093. The mint in Aghmat had the highest output of any mint in North Africa until 1122, and

Muhammad al-Idrisi Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti, or simply al-Idrisi (; ; 1100–1165), was an Arab Muslim geographer and cartographer who served in the court of King Roger II at Palermo, Sicily. Muhammad al-Idrisi was born in C ...

noted in ''Nuzhat al-Mushtāq'' that under the Almoravids the population of Aghmat was the wealthiest. From around 1096, Almoravid dinars were struck in

, starting in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

. There was a notable increase in production around 1104, the year after

Ali ibn Yusuf Ali ibn Yusuf (also known as "Ali Ben Youssef") () (c. 1084 – 28 January 1143) was the 5th Almoravid emir. He reigned from 1106 to 1143. Early life Ali ibn Yusuf was born in 1084–1085 (477 AH) in Ceuta. He was the son of Yusuf ibn Tashf ...

was recognized as the heir to the empire; these coins featured his name along with his father's. Ronald A. Messier suggests that this was "aimed at publicizing the legitimacy of Ali's 'right' to the throne." Under Ali, coin production greatly increased. Dinars were minted in

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

, the newly established Almoravid capital, from around 1097. Four years later, they were also being minted in Fes,

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of ...

, and Nūl Lamta. 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 A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

and symbol of authority to preempt possible revolts. 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. The most productive Andalusi mints at this time were in

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...

, and

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

—the most important cities for international commerce. With the threat of

Ibn Tumart Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad Ibn Tūmart (, ca. 1080–1130) was a Muslim religion, religious scholar, teacher and political leader, from the Sous in southern present-day Morocco. He founded and served as the spiritual and first military leader ...

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

Fesi Iron monosilicide (FeSi) is an intermetallic compound, a silicide of iron that occurs in nature as the rare mineral naquite. It is a narrow-bandgap semiconductor with a room-temperature electrical resistivity of around 10 kΩ·cm and unusual ...

merchants complained of the Almohad "usurpers." The last Almoravid sultan,

Ishaq ibn Ali Ishaq ibn Ali () (died April 1147) was the 8th and last Almoravid Emir who reigned shortly in 1147. Ishaq was the uncle of his predecessor as emir, Ibrahim ibn Tashfin, and was killed after the conquest of Marrakech by the Almohads. Due to r ...

, and some unknown Almoravid rebels minted a few dinars from 1146 to 1151.National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Art."> File:Moule de frappe de la monnaie almoravide, 1117-1116 - 02.jpg, Almoravid coinage mold, 1117-1116. File:Moule de frappe de la monnaie almoravide, 1117-1116.jpg, Almoravid coinage mold, 1117-1116. File:Monnaies almoravide, 1056-1145.jpg, Golden coins of the Almoravid dynasty.

Circulation

The Almoravids traded virtually exclusively with locally produced dinars. Under the Almoravids,

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. 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 Fatimid coinage comes from the Fatimid Caliphate, an Isma'ili Shi'a empire that ruled large parts of North Africa, western Arabia, and the Levant, first from Tunisia (Ifriqiya) and then from Egypt. The coinage was minted after the typical pattern ...

as the dominant currency of Mediterranean trade.

References

Gold coins Almoravid Empire Currencies of Africa Economic history of Morocco Currencies of Spain Currencies of Portugal Currencies of Morocco Coins of Morocco Coins of the medieval Islamic world Coins of Algeria Currencies of Algeria Economic history of Algeria