Nueva tipología monetal de la ceca Madīnat al-Zahrā’ a nombre del califa ‘Abd al-Raḥmān III con leyenda en hebreo

Abstract

This paper introduces an unpublished dirham of the first Caliph of al-Andalus coined in the Madīnat al-Zahrā’ mint in the year 337/948-949, with a Hebrew inscription. After the description of the coin, this article offers an analysis of the epigraphic evolution of the Madīnat al-Zahrā’ mint’s name on the caliphal coinage, based on the study of eight hundred and seventy-two dirhams conserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid. The analysis of this material shows the singularity of the studied piece in the context of the caliphal coinage. On the other hand, the study of the appearance of Hebrew legends on Western Islamic coins allows the proposal of a possible reading of the Hebrew inscription that appears in the dirham. This coin is the only monetary evidence regarding the presence of Sephardic Jews in the Andalusi court during the ‘Abd al-Raḥmān III Caliphate in which Ḥasday b. Saprūṭ played a significant role.