Almohad Square Silver Dirham, al-Andalus

A square silver dirham of the Almohad Caliphate (1121–1269 CE), the North African Berber Muslim empire that expanded into Iberia and ruled across territory in modern-day Spain, al-Andalus, and Morocco. Almohad coinage is distinguished by its square format and finely cut inscriptions. The coin weighs approximately 1.5 grams and is silver of roughly .800–.900 purity; the mint is unknown.

The obverse reads لا إله إلا الله / الأمر كله لله / لا قوة إلا بالله, “No God except Allah / It is all for God / No power except God.” The reverse reads الله ربنا / محمد رسولنا / المهدي امامنا, “God is our Lord / Mohamed is our messenger / The Mahdi is before us.” The translations are offered as approximations.

A compact record of the religious and monetary practices of the Muwahhid caliphs, and of the shared coinage of the medieval Maghreb and Iberia.