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
Demographics
User(s)Idrisid dynasty

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 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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