Arabia. Sulayhids. 'Ali ibn Muhammad, AH 439-473 / AD 1047-1081. Dinar (Gold, 23 mm, 2.28 g, 3 h), Zabid, AH 445 = AD 1053/4. Central, in two lines: al-imām Maʿadd / Abū Tamīm (‘The Imām Maʿadd Abū Tamīm’ in Arabic). Margin: lā ilāha illā Allāh Muḥammad rasūl Allāh ʿAlī walī Allāh (‘There is no deity but God; Muḥammad is the Messenger of God; ʿAlī is the friend of God’ in Arabic). Outer Margin: bi-sm Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-dīnār bi-Zabīd sana khams wa-arbaʿīn wa-arbaʿ miʾa (‘In the name of God, this dinar was struck in Zabīd in the year 445’ in Arabic). Rev. Central, in three lines: al-Mustanṣir / bi-llāh amīr al-muʾ / minīn (‘al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh, Commander of the Faithful’ in Arabic). Album 1075.1. Nicol 1738. A well-centered example. Small marks and minor areas of weakness, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.


Dinars of the Sulayhid ruler ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad form part of a complex monetary series reflecting the political and religious alignment of Yemen with the Fatimid caliphate. The obverse names the Fatimid imām al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh (Maʿadd Abū Tamīm), while the reverse emphasizes his caliphal title, underscoring Sulayhid allegiance to Fatimid authority.

The present type is particularly noteworthy for the unusual arrangement of the reverse legend in three lines, an adaptation necessitated by the length of the titulature amīr al-muʾminīn, which could not be accommodated in the more typical compact format. This feature distinguishes the type from more standard Fatimid and Sulayhid issues and reflects the constraints of die engraving in this series.

These coins exhibit considerable variation in style and execution, ranging from crude to finely engraved examples. Well-centered specimens with clear legends, such as the present coin, are especially desirable.