Coin
Unknown Artist
1030–74
Medium
Copper
Classification
Coins
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1939
Accession Number
39.40.127.186
Art Historical Context
This copper coin, minted between 1030 and 1074, offers a tangible glimpse into the vibrant world of medieval Islamic commerce and governance. As a low-denomination fulus—common currency for everyday transactions—it was struck during a dynamic period in the Islamic world, likely under the Fatimid Caliphate's influence in regions like Egypt or North Africa. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Islamic Art department this artifact highlights how coins served not just as money, but as portable proclamations of power, bearing intricate Arabic inscriptions with rulers' names, mint locations, and ...