1. Nizārī Dīnār and Ẓāhirī Dirham, 11th-Century CE
This eleventh-century list depicts payments made to Shelomo b. ʿAzīz by Faraḥ b. ʿAṭiyya and states the outstanding balance owed for the purchase of scarves and sheep. In dating CUL Or.1080 J82, the Nizāriyya dīnār designation is traceable via the reign of the Fatimid caliph Abū Manṣūr Nizār (r. 975-996 CE). The mention of the Ẓāhirī dirham is more definitive, however, in distinguishing the earliest year in which the document could have been recorded because al-Ẓāhir li-iʿzāz Dīn Allāh reigned several decades later, from 1021-1035 CE. Therefore, based on this confluence of coinage types, we can assume that dīnārs minted during the reign of Abū Manṣūr Nizār were either still in circulation by the 1020s or that the document is referencing gold coinage that was subsequently minted to the same standards. The Ẓāhirī dirham pictured is a glass jeton, whose purpose during the Fatimid Caliphate is still debated as to whether it functioned as a coin-weight or actual currency [1].
[1] For this ongoing debate, see especially: Paul Balog, "Fāṭimid Glass Jetons: Token Currency or Coin-Weights?", Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 24.1 (1981): 93-109; Jere L. Bacharach, "Stirring the Pot: Bate's Approach to Islamic Numismatics," in Dinars and Dirhams: Festschrift in Honor of Michael L. Bates, eds. Touraj Daryaee, Judith A. Lerner, and Virginie C. Rey (Brill: Leiden, 2021), 31-38.
"A List of Payments Received," CUL Or.1080 J82r, c. 11th-cent. CE, Judaeo-Arabic.
Images provided by Cambridge University Library
1 Owed to Shelomo b. ʿAzīz by Faraḥ b. ʿAṭiyya: 13½ dinars | שלמה בר עזיז מסתחק עלי פרח בר עטיה יג דינאר ונצף
2 [Paid via …] b. Bahlūl by check: 2 plus 2 carats. For the rest of | בן בהלול ברקעה ב וקיראטין וען בקיה......
3 the 3 Ẓāhirī dirhams: 1, For the cash: ¾, And for the cash 2 | דראהם צאהריה א וען עין נצף ורבע דינאר וען עין ב
4 Nizārī [dinars], For the two radda scarves: 3 minus 2 carats, For the price of the sheep: 1¼ | נזאריה וען רדתין ג אלא קיראטין וען תמן כרוף א ורבע
5 The remainder after settling the account: 76 dirhams in his hand | ואלבאקי ען בקיה חסאב עו דראהם בידה
(ed. S.D. Goitein, trans. Alan Elbaum)
Nizārī Dīnār from the Princeton Numismatic Collection (Coin: 9199)
Denomination: Dinar
Metal: Gold
Region: Egypt
State: Misr
City: Misr
Date: 990 to 990
Obverse Figure Description: Five concentric rings containing two marginal inscriptions
Obverse Legend: Outer: باسم الله ضرب هذا الدينار بمصر سنة ثمانين و ثلث مائة ***** Inner: عبد الله و وليه نزار الامام العزيز بالله امير المؤمنين
Reverse Figure Description: Five concentric rings containing two marginal inscriptions
Reverse Legend: Outer: محمد رسول الله ارسله بالهدى ودين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله ولو كره المشركون ***** Inner: لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله على خير صفوة الله
References: CFC Type A1 (p. 71); #716 (p. 92)
Coin DescriptionSize: 22 in mm
Weight: 4.0 in grams
Accession: Accession number: 325, Gift of: unknown
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Ẓāhirī Dirham Glass Jeton from the Princeton Numismatic Collection (Coin: 9346)
Object Type: token
Denomination: double dirham
Metal: Glass
Region: Egypt
State: Misr
Date: 1021 to 1036
Obverse Figure Description: Three lines, circular border
Reverse Figure Description: Three lines
References: The Fatimid Glass Jeton
Size: 27 mm
Die Axis: 12
Weight: 5.55 grams
Accession: Accession number: 142, Gift of: E.C. Pomeroy
Color: green
Statement on language in description: Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage. Read more...