Idrisid dirham

The Idrisid dirham (Arabic: الدرهم الإدريسي) was a silver coin minted under the Idrisid dynasty in Morocco and the western Maghreb.[1]

Idrisid dirham
الدرهم الإدريسي (Arabic)
Demographics
User(s)Idrisid dynasty
This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete.

Name

The word "dirham" (درهم) comes from drachma (δραχμή), the Greek coin.[2] "Dirham" is also the name of the currency in use in Morocco today. Idris I was the founder of the Idrisid dynasty.[3]

History

They were first struck under Idris I (788–791) in Tudgha and Volubilis.[4] Ultimately, they were minted at approximately 20 different workshops.[5]

Description

Inscriptions on the coins indicate the dynasty's Zaidiyyah Shia alignment.[5] They promoted the dynasty's lineage tracing back to Ali, which gave the dynasty legitimacy.[5] The Iraqi Kufic script on these coins influenced the early development of Maghrebi script.[6] The Kufic script on these coins is basic and unembellished, reflecting the economic status of the Idrisid state.[6]

Use

Idrisid dirhams circulated widely in the Middle East, and have been found as far as Russia and the Balkans.[5]

References
  1. "Discover Islamic Art - Virtual Museum - object_ISL_ma_Mus01_F_2_en". islamicart.museumwnf.org. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  2. Oxford English Dictionary, 1st edition, s.v. 'dirhem'
  3. Touri, ‘Abdelaziz; Benaboud, Mhammad; Boujibar, Naïma El-Khatib; Lakhdar, Kamal; Mezzine, Mohamed (2010). Andalusian Morocco: A Discovery in Living Art (in Catalan). Museum With No Frontiers, MWNF (Museum Ohne Grenzen). ISBN 978-3-902782-09-0.
  4. The Trans-Saharan Book Trade: Manuscript Culture, Arabic Literacy and Intellectual History in Muslim Africa. BRILL. 2010-12-07. ISBN 978-90-04-19361-1.
  5. "Qantara - The Idrisids (789- 974)". www.qantara-med.org. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  6. حجي، محمد. (2000). معلمة المغرب : قاموس مرتب على حروف الهجاء يحيط بالمعارف المتعلقة بمختلف الجوانب التاريخية والجغرافية والبشرية والحضارية للمغرب الاقصى : بيبليوغرافيا الاجزاء الاثني عشر المنشورة. Maṭābiʻ Salā. p. 3749. OCLC 49744368.
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