al-Maghreb (North Africa). Marinids. temp. Abu Yahya Abu Bakr ibn 'Abd al-Haqq I, AH 642-656 / AD 1244-1258. Dinar (Gold, 31 mm, 4.67 g, 12 h), fully anonymous square-in-square type, no date. Central field, in three lines, within a square adorned with pellets: al-wāḥidu Allāh / Muḥammad rasūl Allāh / al-Qurʾān kalāmu Allāh (‘God is the One / Muhammad is the Messenger of God / the Qurʾān is the word of God’ in Arabic). Margin: bism Allāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm / ṣallā Allāh ʿalā sayyidinā Muḥammad / wa-ilāhukum ilāhun wāḥid / lā ilāha illā huwa al-raḥmānu al-raḥīm (‘In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate / may God bless our master Muhammad / and your God is one God / there is no god but He, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate’ in Arabic). Rev. Central field, in three lines, within a square adorned with pellets: al-shukru li-llāh / wa-al-minnatu li-llāh / wa-al-ḥawlu wa-al-quwwatu bi-llāh (‘Thanks belong to God / and grace belongs to God / and power and strength are through God’ in Arabic). Margin: huwa al-awwal wa-al-ākhir / wa-al-ẓāhir wa-al-bāṭin / wa-huwa bi-kulli shayʾin ʿalīm (‘He is the First and the Last / the Manifest and the Hidden / and He is Knowing of all things’ in Arabic). Album 520. Hazard 690. Well centered. Slightly bent, minor die breaks and somewhat rough, otherwise, good very fine.


Anonymous Merinid gold dinars of this type are traditionally attributed to the reign of Abū Yaḥyā Abū Bakr on the basis of legend structure and layout, following the pioneering work of Hazard. The distinctive three-line arrangement in the central fields on both sides, together with reverse formulas such as al-shukr li-llāh, characterises the earliest group of anonymous Merinid gold, later continued without change under Abū Bakr’s successors. The absence of a ruler’s name reflects a broader Merinid preference for theological expression over personal titulature during this phase. Most examples lack a mint name, and although certain mints such as Fās, Marrākush and Sijilmāsa are attested for the type, secure separation by reign or workshop remains unresolved. As with much early Merinid gold, variations in engraving quality and fabric are common and are an important area of ongoing numismatic study.