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FATIMID: Interregnum, 1130-1131, AV dinar (4.24g), Misr, AH526, VF

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Islamic Coins - Egypt & Syria Start Price:1,600.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 2,500.00 USD
FATIMID: Interregnum, 1130-1131, AV dinar (4.24g), Misr, AH526, VF
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FATIMID: Interregnum, 1130-1131, AV dinar (4.24g), Misr, AH526, A-734.2, Nicol-2592 (type B), in the name of the hidden imam al-Mahdi, with the title al-Qa'im bi-amr Allah in the obverse middle margin (without the phrase al-muntazar), also citing the vizier and de facto ruler Kutayfat as al-Afdal Abu 'Ali Ahmad followed by the title na'ibuhu wa-khalifatuhu ("his representative and his follower") in the inner margin, with the phrase 'âl / ghâya ("extremely pure", reference to the gold quality) divided between the obverse and reverse centers; issued for less than a month in AH526 (from the start of Muharram on November 24 to his assassination on December 8) and much rarer than the type A dinar; small cut on edge, VF, RRR, ex SINCONA Auction 92, Lot 820. Nicol only records 3 museum pieces of this type. This is the only example to appear in public auctions to our knowledge.This coin was issued during the brief but tumultuous period between the assassination of al-Âmir and the controversial succession of his cousin al-Hafiz. When al-Âmir was killed by Nizari agents (i.e. the Order of Assassins) in October 1130, he left behind a six-month-old son, al-Tayyib, without a vizier or regent. As the oldest surviving male of the dynasty, al-Hafiz (then known as 'Abd al-Majid) assumed the role of the regent and effectively became the head of state. But this was met with opposition from the army, which quickly placed him under arrest and installed Kutayfat (also known as Abu Ali Ahmad ibn al-Afdal) as the new vizier. The infant al-Tayyib had disappeared amid the power struggle and was never heard from again. Kutayfat thus ruled in the name of a hidden imam by the name of Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad al-Muntazar bi-Amr Allah and issued coins in that name. His rule lasted barely over a year when members of al-Âmir's bodyguard assassinated him in early December 1131. Al-Hafiz ascended the throne in the next month, thus bringing an end to the interregnum. However, his succession caused the Ismaili faith--already fractured by the Nizari schism--to further splinter. Those who recognize the legitimacy of al-Hafiz and his successors formed the now-extinct Hafizi sect; those who do not became the extent Tayyibi branch, which believes al-Tayyib went into seclusion (not unlike the final imam in Twelver Shia Islam) and is publicly represented by the Da'i al-Mutlaq ("absolute missionary").