al-Maghreb (North Africa). Almoravids (al-Murabitun). 'Ali ibn Yusuf, AH 500-537 / AD 1107-1142. Qirat (Silver, 12 mm, 0.93 g, 6 h), variety without mint, date and heir, NM. Central field, in four lines, within a circle, pellet above: lā ilāha illā / Allāh / Muḥammad rasūl / Allāh (‘There is no god but God / Muhammad is the Messenger of God’ in Arabic). Rev. Central field, in three lines, within a circle, floral ornament above; dāl below, between two groups of pellets: amīr al-muslimīn / wa-nāṣir al-dīn / ʿAlī b. Yūsuf (‘Commander of the Muslims / and Defender of the Faith / ʿAlī b. Yūsuf’ in Arabic). Album 467.3. Benito Cc9. Hazard 928. Vives 1708. A rare variety. Light surface pitting and some deposits, otherwise, very fine.


Almoravid rulers typically used the subordinate title amīr al-muslimīn (“commander of the Muslims”) rather than amīr al-muʾminīn (“commander of the believers”), which helps distinguish them from dynasties that adopted caliphal titulature. The Almoravid qirāts and their fractions are a highly variegated series: even within a single catalog number, dies show many calligraphic, spelling, and layout variants, making them an active area for variety-collecting and die-study.