Jerusalem, Kingdom 1 Dirham 1253-1260

History

1 Dirham 1253-1260, Bates# Type 5 and 6, Jerusalem, Kingdom

Obverse. Photo © VHobbies.com

Description

The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, was a crusader state established in the Southern Levant by Godfrey of Bouillon in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks. Its history is divided into two distinct periods. The First Kingdom of Jerusalem lasted from 1099 to 1187, when it was almost entirely overrun by Saladin. After the subsequent Third Crusade, the kingdom was re-established in Acre in 1192, and lasted until that city's destruction in 1291, except for the two decades after Frederick II of Hohenstaufen reclaimed Jerusalem, placing it back in Christian hands after the Sixth Crusade. This second kingdom is sometimes called the Second Kingdom of Jerusalem or the Kingdom of Acre, after its new capital. Most of the crusaders who settled there were of French origin.

These coins were a trade coinage intended for use in Syria, where the Moslems would presumably be resistant to coins with the cross on them. There are several series of these imitations, and some varieties bear two different 'frozen' dates.

Obverse	Margin has the mint & date: • top margin: Zarb be Dimashq / Minted in Damascus • left margin: Sanat Ithna / Year Two… (the date could be 642 AH) • bottom margin: not visible • right margin: Bi-ism allah / In the name of Allah Inscription on the centre square: • al-Malik as-Salih / The good king • Imad ad-Dunya wa 'd-Din / The mainstay of the world and religion • Isma'il bin Abu Bakr / Name It was posthumous coinage in the name of As-Salih Ismail. Al-Malik as-Salih Imad ad-Din Ismail bin Saif ad-Din Ahmad better known as as-Salih Ismail (Arabic: الصالح إسماعيل‎) was the Ayyubid sultan based in Damascus. He reigned twice, once in 1237 and then again from 1239-45. ضرب بدمشق سنة اثنا الملك الصالح عماد الدنيا و الدين اسمعيل بن أبو بكر بسم الله
Reverse	Margin has the Shahada: • top margin: La Ilah Illa / No God but • left margin: Allah Wahdahu / God alone • bottom margin: La Sharik lahu / none is associated with him • right margin: Muhammad Rasol Allah / Muhammad is the messenger of God The Shahada ("the testimony") is an Islamic creed, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, declaring belief in the oneness of God (tawhid) and the acceptance of Muhammad as God's prophet. Inscription on the centre square: • al-Imam / Muslim leader • al-Mustansir / Name • billah Abu Ja'far / Name • al-Mansur Amir al-Mu'minin / al-Mansur The Commander of the faithful It was posthumous coinage in the name of Al-Mustansir. Al-Mustansir Bi'llah (full name: Abû Ja`far al-Mustansir bi-llah al-Mansûr ben az-Zâhir, surname Al-Mustansir) was the thirty-sixth Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 1226 to 1242. He succeeded Caliph Az-Zahir in the year 1226. لا اله الا الله وحده الامام المستنصر بالله ابو جعفر المنصور امير المؤمنين لا شريك له محمد رسول الله
Edge	Plain