Item number: A281

Year: AD 953-975

Material: Gold

Size: 20.2 x 20.2 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 4.04 g

Manufactured by: Mansuriya, Tunisia

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a gold dinar coin from the fourth caliph of the Fatimid dynasty, Al-Muizz, minted in the early years of his reign in the year AH 341 (AD 952), marking the introduction of the distinctive 1st type “Bullseye” gold dinar. At the centre of both sides of the coin is a solid dot, surrounded by five concentric circles and two circular inscriptions. On the obverse side, the inner inscription features the familiar Muslim declaration of faith, Shahada, along with the Shia-specific phrase “Ali is the best of the God’s agents,” while the outer inscription indicates the place of minting and the year. This coin was minted in Mansuriya, located in present-day Tunisia, which was the last capital before the Fatimid dynasty moved to Egypt. On the reverse side, the inner inscription contains the full name of the caliph al-Mu’izz, while the outer inscription praises “The Imam Mu‘add [al-Mu‘izz] summons (all) to profess the unity of the Everlasting God.”

Al-Muizz’s innovative coinage system, referred to by contemporaneous Europeans as the “Bullseye,” was a strategic move to distinguish his realm from the Abbasid Empire centred in Baghdad and the Umayyad dynasty entrenched in Andalusia (Spain), both significant Sunni powers dominating the Islamic and Mediterranean worlds. By redesigning his coins, Al-Muizz aimed to assert the distinctiveness of the Fatimid dynasty in the face of these Sunni political rivals. Fatimid gold dinars, renowned for their high purity gold content, were highly valued by merchants for their quality. Beyond showcasing economic strength through gold coinage, Al-Muizz aimed to assert the religious stance of the Shia sect.

In AD 680, following the assassination of Husayn, the grandson of Muhammad and the last legitimate caliphic successor of Ali, by the Umayyad Caliphate at Karbala, Islam plunged into a major schism. Those who believed that only Ali’s bloodline could rightfully assume the caliphate were known as the Shia, meaning “followers of Ali.” The Fatimid dynasty, which originated in Tunisia under the name of “Fatima,” Muhammad’s daughter and Ali’s wife, was a prominent Shia political entity. Under the leadership of Al-Muizz, the Fatimid dynasty successfully conquered Egypt, the wealthiest region in the Mediterranean world, and established Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the oldest university in the Islamic world.

The “Bullseye” dinars issued by Al-Muizz can be classified into three types based on their ornamentation and inscription content：(See Table)

物件編號: A281

年代: 公元 953-975 年

材料: 黃金

尺寸: 20.2 x 20.2 x 0.7 mm

重量: 4.04 g

製造地: 曼蘇利亞，突尼西亞

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚什葉派法蒂瑪王朝的第四代哈里發：穆儀茲，於回曆341年(公元952年)登基初年，鑄造和開創極具法蒂瑪特色的第一型「牛眼」第納爾金幣。金幣兩面的正中央有一個實心圓點，向外依序有五道實線圓圈和兩道環狀銘文。正面的兩道銘文，內圈是穆斯林熟悉的清真言和什葉派獨有的「阿里是真主最好的使者」讚詞，外圈則是標示鑄造地點和年份。該枚金幣是在法蒂瑪王朝入主埃及前的最後一個首都，即今日北非突尼西亞的曼蘇利亞鑄造。背面的兩道銘文，內圈是哈里發穆儀茲的全名，外圈則是歌頌「伊瑪目穆儀茲號召眾人團結宣示效忠真主」讚詞。

穆儀茲獨創的錢幣形制，被同時代的歐洲人稱作「牛眼」。穆儀茲之所以重新設計自己的錢幣，是為了在伊斯蘭和地中海世界跟巴格達為中心的阿拔斯帝國和盤據在安達盧西亞(西班牙)的後伍麥亞王朝，兩個重要的遜尼派政權分庭抗禮和作出區別。法蒂瑪王朝金幣在品質上具備高純度的含金量為商人所喜愛。以金幣展現厚實的經濟實力外，穆儀茲最重要的是展現什葉派的宗教立場。

公元680年，海珊作為穆罕默德的外孫，最後一位正統哈里發阿里的兒子在卡爾巴拉被伍麥亞王朝殺害後，伊斯蘭教便陷入大分裂。認定唯有阿里的血親方能擔當哈里發的信徒稱為什葉派，即「順從阿里」的意思。法蒂瑪王朝正是高舉穆罕默德的女兒，阿里的妻子「法蒂瑪」之名，在突尼西亞發跡的什葉派政權。法蒂瑪王朝在穆儀茲的領導下，成功佔領地中海世界最富饒的埃及，並且在開羅創辦伊斯蘭世界最古老的大學：艾資哈爾大學。

穆儀茲發行的「牛眼」第納爾可按照紋飾和銘文內容分為三種類型 (見下表)：