'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Mutawakkil, AH 232-247 / AD 847-861. Dinar (Gold, 21 mm, 3.18 g, 11 h), citing the caliph al-Mutawakkil 'ala Allah, San'a, AH 237 = AD 851/2. Central field, in three lines: lā ilāha illā / Allāh waḥdahu / lā sharīka lahu (‘There is no god but God alone, He has no associate’ in Arabic). Margin: bi-sm Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-dīnār bi-Ṣanʿāʾ sanat sabʿ wa-thalāthīn wa-miʾatayn (‘In the name of God, this dinar was struck in Ṣanʿāʾ in the year two hundred and thirty-seven’ in Arabic). Outer margin: li-llāh al-amr min qablu wa-min baʿd wa-yawmaʾidhin yafraḥ al-muʾminūn bi-naṣr Allāh (‘To God belongs the command before and after, and on that day the believers will rejoice in the help of God’ in Arabic). Rev. Central field, in five lines: li-llāh / Muḥammad / rasūl / Allāh / al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh (‘For God / Muhammad is the Messenger of God / He who trusts in God’ in Arabic). Margin: Muḥammad rasūl Allāh arsalahu bi-l-hudā wa-dīn al-ḥaqq li-yuẓhirahu ʿalā al-dīn kullihi wa-law kariha al-mushrikūn (‘Muhammad is the Messenger of God, whom He sent with guidance and the religion of truth to make it prevail over all religion, even though the polytheists may dislike it’ in Arabic). Album 1053. Bernardi 155 (El). Extremely rare. Minor deposits and a clipped edge, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.


Gold dinars of al-Mutawakkil from Ṣanʿāʾ are of the highest rarity. Although the type is recorded in the standard references, only a very small number of specimens are known, and appearances in the marketplace are exceptionally infrequent. The limited gold output of the Yemeni mint and the scarcity of surviving examples of AH 237 render this issue an exceptionally rare date within the Abbasid Yemeni gold series. The present specimen is preserved in noticeably superior condition compared with previously recorded examples, making it not only rare but also among the finest known for the date.