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Mali Empire Gold Dinars

Type Object Region West Africa Time c. 1312–1337

Mali Empire gold dinars are 14th-century West African gold coins of high-purity gold, circulating in trans-Saharan trade networks and the Mediterrane…

Timeline

  1. c. 1312–1320Mali Empire · Mali EmpireAfter Mansa Musa's accession, he used the Bure and Bambuk gold mines controlled by the empire to mint gold dinars conforming to Islamic standards at places like Niani, with coin faces often bearing shahada inscriptions such as 'There is no god but Allah.'
  2. c. 1315–1330Timbuktu–Cairo trade route · Trans-Saharan trade routesLarge quantities of gold dinars were carried by trans-Saharan caravans to North Africa and Egypt, circulating in Maghreb and Cairo markets; historical records state they caused local gold prices to fall, demonstrating the significant influence of West African gold on the Mediterranean economy.

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