125 / 166
Tyrants of the Tigris & euphrates
275
Fatimid Caliphate
Gold Dinar (2.81g), AH 451
Ma’ad Abu Tamim al-Mustansir, Fatimid Caliph, AH 427-487/AD 1036-1094
Jafar F.KU.451 (same dies, mint misread as Madinat Kufa); Album 719B. Very Fine.
Al-Qasr bi-Madinat al-Salam mint (Baghdad), issued by the rebel Arslan al-Basasiri in the name of the
Fatimid caliph al-Mustansir. Obverse,
Ma’ad ‘Abd Allah waliyat / al-imam Abu Tamim / al-Mustansir
billah / amir al-mu’minin
; mint and date formula in margin. Reverse, at center, Shi’ite kalima; in margin,
Qur’an 9:33. On both sides, field and margin separated by wide decorative border. It has been suggested
that al-Basasiri may been supplied beforehand with dinars which bore the mint name Madinat al-Salam
(Baghdad) but had in fact been produced at a mint in Egypt or Syria for propaganda purposes. The
arrangement of legends on al-Basasiri’s coins, however, do not have the same “bull’s-eye” concentric
legends found on other Fatimid issues of the time. Instead, al-Basasiri’s dinars have horizontal legends
in the field with a single margin around, an arrangement much more familiar to the residents of Baghdad.
The unusual addition of al-Qasr (“Palace”) to the mint name Madinat al-Salam suggests a mint within a
fortified palace or citadel. Extremely rare.
Arslan al-Basasiri was a Turkish general who had enjoyed power and prestige in Baghdad while the ‘Ab-
basid caliph was under protection of the Buwayhids. When the Buwayhids were expelled from Baghdad
by the Seljuqs in 1055, al-Basasiri rebelled against their authority. The fighting dragged on for some
time with neither side able to gain the advantage. Al-Basasiri appealed to the Fatimids (a powerful
Shi’ite state centered on Egypt) for help. The Fatimids provided the necessary aid and appointed al-Ba-
sasiri as viceroy of Iraq. The ‘Abbasid Caliph al-Qa’im was removed from Baghdad and the Fatimid
Caliph al-Mustansir was mentioned in the Friday prayers and on the coins. When the Seljuk Tughril Beg
marched on the city, al-Basasiri lost support and his rebellion collapsed. He was forced to flee Baghdad
only a year after capturing it. His flight was futile, however, as he was killed in a nearby skirmish. The
Fatimid caliph al-Mustansir (AH 427-487/ AD 1036-1094) was the longest-governing caliph in the his-
tory of Islam. His power of the later Fatimids was confined to Egypt. North Africa fell into anarchy and
the Levant was lost first to the Seljuqs and then the Crusaders. The Fatimids were Shia but, like their
rivals the Sunnii ‘Abbasids, suffered from the interference of their Turkish mercenaries in the admin-
istration of their state. The demand for payment by Turkish troops took its toll on the Fatimid treasury
and pushed the Caliphate into bankruptcy. Al-Mustansir was finally assassinated and Cairo fell into the
hands of Turkish troops who looted it. During this tumultuous period the famous public library of Cairo,
considered one of the wonders of the world, was scattered, the valuable books either sold at a fraction of
their value or used for lighting fires!