Almohad Gold Coinage

Timeline

1. 1141–1146Tlemcen and Fez · AlgeriaBetween 1141 and 1146, as the Almohads conquered Almoravid territory they gradually took over old mints, abolished the figurative elements of Almoravid coinage, and experimented with replacing rulers' names with tawhid inscriptions. This phase laid the institutional and technical foundations for the empire's unified monetary system after 1147.
2. 1147–1148Marrakesh mint · MoroccoAfter capturing Marrakesh in 1147, the Almohads formally introduced the square gold dinar: its face bore only the tawhid creed and Quranic excerpts, with no caliph's name, reflecting the dominance of religious ideology over monetary aesthetics. The weight and fineness followed traditional Islamic standards, and the coin quickly circulated across the Maghreb, replacing older issues.
3. 1148–1150Seville · AndalusiaBetween 1148 and 1150, the Almohads established mints in Seville, Córdoba, and elsewhere, extending the square gold dinar along with accompanying silver and copper coinage to al-Andalus, uniformly replacing the local currencies of the taifa period. Unified coinage across the strait facilitated imperial trade, taxation, and military disbursements, and the gold coin became an important hard currency in the western Mediterranean.