The Effect of Economic Conditions on Certain Coinage of Moulay Sidi Mohamed Bin Abdullah (1171-1204 AH/1757-1790 AD) in Light of Three Unpublished Pieces

Document Type : research articles

Author

Islamic department, Faculty of Archeology, Cairo University

Abstract

This study focuses on the conditions that surrounded striking special issues of the Moroccan Sultan Sidi Mohamed bin Abdullah (1171-1204AH / 1757-1790 AD), which used some parts of certain verses from the Holy Qur'an concerning hoarding gold and silver. It also examines the motives for his selection of these verses to be written on certain coins. Despite the importance of these coins, there has been a conspicuous lack of specialised research on this topic.
This paper seeks to reveal the circumstances that affected the Sultan's decision to add these specific Quranic verses by analysing contemporaneous historical sources and references from the relevant period. This study takes into account the complex interaction among political, economic, and religious concerns, including the devastating seven-year famine that affected Morocco. During this crisis, the Sultan endeavoured to motivate his people to fulfil their religious duty of zakat and implored the affluent to emulate his kind actions by generously contributing from their personal fortunes to assist the populace.
This study introduces three unpublished coin examples sourced from two private collections. which show how much these coins were connected to the political and economic conditions of this period. This research enhances our understanding of the socio-political and economic situation of Morocco during the reign of Sultan Sidi Mohamed bin Abdullah by thoroughly examining historical sources and analysing numismatic data.

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