2019-07-19 Fri

Abd Al Rahman III was an Amir and Caliph of Cordoba of the Umayyad dynasty in Al Andalus. He succeeded his grandfather Abd Allah as emir of Cordoba in 912 and took the title of Caliph in 929. His reign is remembered as a golden age of Muslim Spain and Umayyad rule.

He was born in Cordoba on 18 December 890. First, he successfully established a centralized government in Spain and built a powerful army and navy. It was during the reign of ‘Abd al-Rahman III that the minting of silver was resumed and gold coins were struck for the first time for nearly two hundred years. He was the first Spanish Umayyad caliph to adopt the title amir al-mu’minin (Commander of the Faithful) on his coins, with the caliphal name al-Nasir li-din Allah (Defender of God’s Religion).

The above shown silver Dirham was issued under his reign from Madinat Al Zahra mint. The obverse of a coin depicts the legend ‘Laa Ilaha Illallah Wahdahu La Sharikalahu Muhammadur Rasulullah’. On the other hand, the reverse of a coin read as ‘Al-Imam Al Nasir Al-Din Allah Abd Al Rahman Amir Al Muminin’.

Image Source: wikipedia.org