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What were the circulation networks for precious metals used in coinage in the Islamic West, from the Arab conquests to the Berber dynasties (8th-13th centuries)? Where did the gold and silver minted by the various States of the Islamic West come from? To what extent did political changes in the Maghreb and al-Andalus influence the circulation of precious metals?

The ALMACIR project focuses on the western part of the Dār al-Islām, between the Arab conquests of the Maġrib al-Aqsā and al-Andalus at the turn of the 7th-8th centuries and the fall of the Almohads in 668/1269. Based on the testimony of written sources, traditional and recent historiography has demonstrated the importance of sub-Saharan gold, the routes of its circulation transiting through Siǧilmāsa, and the wealth of other Saharan cities at the crossroads of the salt and gold routes, such as Awdaġust (in today’s Mauritania). Written sources also shed light on the exploitation of precious metals in the Maghreb. More recently, archaeological studies in North Africa, particularly in Siǧilmāsa area have added a new dimension to these studies. While the circulation of precious metals has tended to focus on gold, the circulation of silver has to be highlighted, especially its possible movement to the Iberian Peninsula from North Africa, where there were renowned mines, such as those in the Moroccan Atlas whose wealth was highlighted by the 9th century geographer Ibn Ḫudāḏbih. The area was subject to different authorities, with the Maġrib al-Aqsā gradually linked to al-Andalus, with the expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba to the south of the Strait of Gibraltar, until the control of Siǧilmāsa (366/976), and with the conquests and retreat of the Almoravids and then the Almohads in the 12th and 13th centuries. The project is based on an examination of the circulation of gold and silver in these varying political contexts, through a new light: that of the chemical composition characteristics of coins.

Main objectives:

1. to assess the circulation of these metals over a broad chronology between sub-Saharan Africa, the Maġrib al-Aqsā and al-Andalus;
2. to quantify the evolution of this circulation;
3. to determine the impact of changes in domination in the region.

Research hypotheses:

1. The different phases of increase in monetary production, as highlighted by numismatic studies, imply different stocks of metals. It could have come from Iberian mines, as archaeology has partially demonstrated for the Umayyad period, or from deposits outside the Peninsula, even outside al-Andalus. Metal of the same geographical origin could be used in several mints, and perhaps sub-Saharan gold was minted just as well in the Umayyad workshop at Siǧilmāsa as in Córdoba or in the Palatine city of Madīnat al-Zahrā.
2. The notable changes in the supply of coinage are the result of and reflect the contacts and influences in the western Mediterranean basin. The exploitation of silver mines in North Africa could have been a source of supply, particularly for the Iberian Peninsula, depending on the areas controlled by the various powers.
3. Political developments and expansions in the Islamic states of the West may have influenced the circulation of precious metals. Umayyad control of Siǧilmāsa, and above all, the Berber conquests of the 12th-13th centuries probably led to the arrival of sub-Saharan gold in al-Andalus, where dinars of renowned quality were minted. The ALMACIR project proposes a multidisciplinary approach to achieve its objectives. Benefiting from a dense historiography on the subject, the project will be based on the most recent archaeological data on the Saharan zones, on a large-scale numismatic study, considering for the first time the coinage of all the Muslim states of the West between the 8th and 13th centuries, and on archaeometric data, which it proposes to develop to an extent never before envisaged for this coinage.