مغراوة: تاريخ وحاضر متجدد

Description

MAGHRAWA: Anonymous, ca. 951-970, AR dirham (0.92g), NM, AH360, A-454M, citing the Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz (953-975), struck by one of the subordinate tribes within the Maghrawa branch of the Berber tribes; date somewhat crude but seems likely to be 360; unpublished and unique, VF-EF, RRRR. Only the Banu Khazar and Banu Ifran branches of the Maghrawa are represented by known coins, all of the greatest rarity; It is possible that this piece and the following lot belong to either of these two tribes, but they might belong to yet another Zenata or other Berber tribe that recognized the Fatimid Imam for protection during the ongoing conflicts between the Umayyads of Spain and the Fatimids. The consignor suggests that they might have been issued by the Banu Ifran or one of its subordinate branches, and this is possible but cannot be confirmed. One important characteristic is the palm tree symbol above the first half of the kalima on the obverse, derived from the Idrisid coinage of Morocco and western Algeria. The palm tree would suggest a western provenance, perhaps somewhere between Meknes and Tlemcen, parts of which were periodically under Banu Ifran control, whose traditional capital was at Tlemcen (Tilimsan)