Obverse. Cairo Mint (Al-Qahira). Photo © Sixbid.com
  • 1 Dinar 1198-1199, Album# 799, Egypt, Al-Nasir, Al-Mansur Nasir al-Din Muhammad, Cairo Mint (Al-Qahira)
  • 1 Dinar 1198-1199, Album# 799, Egypt, Al-Nasir, Al-Mansur Nasir al-Din Muhammad, Cairo Mint with Al-Malik Al-Mansur Abd Allah
  • 1 Dinar 1198-1199, Album# 799, Egypt, Al-Nasir, Al-Mansur Nasir al-Din Muhammad, Alexandria Mint (Al-Iskandariya)
  • 1 Dinar 1198-1199, Album# 799, Egypt, Al-Nasir, Al-Mansur Nasir al-Din Muhammad, Alexandria Mint with Al-Malik Al-Mansur without Abd Allah
Description

The Abbasid Caliphate (Arabic: الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from the prophet's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes its name. They ruled as caliphs for most of the caliphate from their capital in Baghdad in modern-day Iraq, after having overthrown the Umayyad Caliphate in the Abbasid Revolution of 750 CE (132 AH). The Abbasid Caliphate first centered its government in Kufa, modern-day Iraq, but in 762 the caliph Al-Mansur founded the city of Baghdad, near the ancient Babylonian capital city of Babylon. Baghdad became the center of science, culture and invention in what became known as the Golden Age of Islam. This, in addition to housing several key academic institutions, including the House of Wisdom, as well as a multiethnic and multi-religious environment, garnered it a worldwide reputation as the "Center of Learning".

Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad ibn al-Hassan al-Mustadi' better known by his laqab Al-Nasir li-Din Allah (1158–1225) or simply as Al-Nasir was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 1180 until his death. His laqab literally can mean The One who Gives Victory to the Religion of God. He continued the efforts of his grandfather Al-Muqtafi in restoring the caliphate to its ancient dominant role and achieved a surprising amount of success as his army even conquered parts of Iran.

The Ayyubid dynasty was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish origin, Saladin had originally served Nur ad-Din of Syria, leading Nur ad-Din's army in battle against the Crusaders in Fatimid Egypt, where he was made Vizier. Following Nur ad-Din's death, Saladin was proclaimed as the first Sultan of Egypt and rapidly expanded the new sultanate beyond the frontiers of Egypt to encompass most of the Levant (including the former territories of Nur ad-Din), in addition to Hijaz, Yemen, northern Nubia, Tarabulus, Cyrenaica, southern Anatolia, and northern Iraq, the homeland of his Kurdish family. By virtue of his sultanate including Hijaz, the location of the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina, he was the first ruler to be hailed as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, a title that would be held by all subsequent Sultans of Egypt until the Ottoman conquest of 1517. Saladin's military campaigns in the first decade of his rule, aimed at uniting the various Arab and Muslim states in the region against the Crusaders, set the general borders and sphere of influence of the Sultanate of Egypt for almost three and a half centuries of its existence. Most of the Crusader states, including the Kingdom of Jerusalem, fell to Saladin after his victory at the Battle of Hattin in 1187. However, the Crusaders reconquered the coast of Palestine in the 1190s.

The ruler title in Cairo Mint: "Al-Malik Al-Mansur Abd Allah" in Alexandria Mint: "Al-Malik Al-Mansur" only without "Abd Allah".

Obverse

Depicts the inscriptions in Arabic three concentric marginal legends "In the name of God the Merciful. This dinar was struck in Cairo (Egypt) in the year 594", “There is no god but God alone, Abu Al-Abbas Al-Nasir for God religion, Commander of the Faithful" and "Al-Imam Ahmed".

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ضرب هذا الدينار بالقاهرة سنة اربع و تسعين و خمسمائة
لا اله الا الله ابو العباس الناصر لدين الله امير المؤمنين
الامام احمد

Reverse

Depicts the inscriptions in Arabic three concentric marginal legends “There is no god but God alone, Muhammad is the Messenger of God” and “He sent him with guidance and the true religion to make it victorious over every religion”, "Al-Malik Al-Mansur Abd Allah" and "Muhammed bin Uthman".

Al-Mansur Nasir al-Din Muhammad (1189– after 1216) was the third Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt, reigning in 1198–1200. The grandson of the Ayyubid dynasty's founder, Saladin, al-Mansur succeeded his father al-Aziz Uthman on the latter's death in 1198, at the age of twelve. A struggle subsequently ensued between different military factions as to who should serve as his atabeg al-asakir or commander in chief, and effective regent. One faction, the Salahiyya or mamluks of Saladin, wanted Saladin's brother al-Adil to take on this role, as he was viewed as able and experienced. The other faction, the Asadiyya mamluks of Saladin's uncle Asad ad-Din Shirkuh favored Saladin's eldest son, al-Afdal.

In the struggle which followed al-Afdal had the initial advantage of being based in Egypt, while al-Adil was in Syria. Al-Afdal was duly proclaimed atabeg. War broke out between them and al-Afdal attacked Damascus, but he soon lost the advantage and in February 1200 (Rabi' II 596), al-Adil entered Cairo. Within days he had removed the name of al-Mansur in the Friday prayer khutbah and replaced it with his own, thereby deposing al-Mansur.

After his deposition al-Mansur was exiled to Aleppo in Syria. There, he lived in the court of his uncle, Emir az-Zahir Ghazi, who, in 1216, placed him in the line of succession for the emirate should his own sons predecease him. Nothing further is known of al-Mansur.

لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله ارسله بالهدى ودين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله
عدل عدله الملك المنصور عبد الله
محمد بن عثمان

Edge
Characteristics
Material Gold
Fineness 0.833
Weight 5.01 g
Diameter -
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mints
Alexandria Mint
Cairo Mint

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