Crusader Imitations of Islamic Dinars. AD 1124-1291. Bezant (Gold, 22 mm, 3.64 g, 9 h), imitating a Fatimid dinar of al-Āmir Abū ʿAlī al-Manṣūr, Miṣr mint, AH 506, Akka (Acre). Central field, in two lines: ʿāli / ghāya (‘Of the highest excellence (purity)’ in deteriorated Arabic). Inner margin: lā ilāha illā Allāh Muḥammad rasūl Allāh ʿAlī walī Allāh (‘There is no god but God, Muḥammad is the Messenger of God, ʿAlī is the friend of God’ in deteriorated Arabic). Outer margin: Muḥammad rasūl Allāh arsalahu bi-l-hudā wa-dīn al-ḥaqq li-yuẓhirahu ʿalā al-dīn kullihi wa-law kariha al-mushrikūn (‘Muḥammad is the Messenger of God; He sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over all religion, even though the polytheists may dislike it’ in deteriorated Arabic). Rev. Central field, in two lines: al-imām / al-Manṣūr (‘The Imam al-Manṣūr’ in deteriorated Arabic). Inner margin: Abū ʿAlī al-Āmir bi-Aḥkām Allāh amīr al-muʾminīn (‘Abū ʿAlī al-Āmir bi-Aḥkām Allāh, Commander of the Believers’ in deteriorated Arabic). Outer margin: bism Allāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm ḍuriba hādhā al-dīnār bi-Miṣr (‘In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, this dinar was struck in Miṣr’ in deteriorated Arabic). Album 730. Nicely toned. Struck from a somewhat worn reverse die, otherwise, good very fine.


While many Crusader bezants are extremely crude, engraved by non-Arab craftsmen unfamiliar with Arabic script, this specimen belongs to a smaller and especially interesting group showing comparatively careful calligraphy alongside numerous linguistic and orthographic errors. This combination creates a striking contrast between visual refinement and textual inaccuracy, making such coins highly attractive to both collectors and scholars. These less crude examples likely represent some of the earliest phases of Crusader gold coinage, in which the pseudo-Arabic legends still preserve a clear stylistic affinity with their Fatimid prototypes, a feature that rapidly diminished in later imitative issues.

The Crusader gold bezants of this type were struck in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem in deliberate imitation of contemporary Fatimid dinars, retaining Arabic inscriptions to facilitate acceptance in regional and international trade. Although the legends name Sur and copy the Fatimid mint and date formula, production is generally attributed to Crusader mints in the Levant, most plausibly ʿAkkā (Acre). These imitations belong to a series issued between the early 12th and late 13th centuries, reflecting the close monetary interaction between Crusader and Islamic economies.

The prominent central inscription ʿālī ghāya ('of the highest quality' or 'of excellent purity') is of particular interest, as it represents an explicit assertion of gold fineness intended to inspire confidence among users.