Almohad Caliphate, AR square ½ Dirham, rare

1160-1260

€ 60.00 VAT margin scheme

Article code: 24-3632
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The coins minted by the Almohad Caliphate have Arabic script showing mint marks and declarations of faith. They are usually anonymous, meaning that they are not attributable to any single ruler.

Numerous theories have emerged regarding the square shape of these coins. While their form indeed facilitated cutting them from larger pieces of silver, most believe that the square shape was a deliberate design decision.

These square shaped silver dirham coins are typical of the Almohad period when the Almohad Dynasty controlled much of Northern Africa and Spain. They were the most powerful force in North Africa since the Roman Empire.

The Almohads transferred the capital of Muslim Iberia from Córdoba to Seville where they founded a great mosque and built the Al-Muwarak palace (modern-day Alcázar of Seville).

In the 12th century two major Muslim powers made a strategic alliance to face the Christian Crusades. The Almohad Caliphate established a partnership with Sultan Saladin's Ayyubid Egypt. This resulted in the siege and capture of Jerusalem in 1187 AD by the united forces under Saladin.

An Almohad battalion also participated in attacks against Christians and tried to take Constantinople.

In al-Andalus the Almohad Caliphate was defeated by the combined Christian forces of Portugal, Castile, and Aragon at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, in 1212 AD. Their power continued to decline and by 1270 the Almohads were no longer a force of any significance.