History of the Dirhem in Egypt from the Fāṭimid Conquest until the collapse of the Mamlūk Empire. - article ; n°3 ; vol.6, pg 109-146

Paul Balog

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Revue numismatique - Année 1961 - Volume 6 - Numéro 3 - Pages 109-146
38 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

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• Publié par: REVUE_NUMISMATIQUE
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1961
• Nombre de lectures: 15
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

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Paul Balog
History of the Dirhem in Egypt from the Fāimid Conquest until
the collapse of the Mamlūk Empire.
In: Revue numismatique, 6e série - Tome 3, année 1961 pp. 109-146.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Balog Paul. History of the Dirhem in Egypt from the Fāimid Conquest until the collapse of the Mamlūk Empire. In: Revue
numismatique, 6e série - Tome 3, année 1961 pp. 109-146.
doi : 10.3406/numi.1961.1704
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/numi_0484-8942_1961_num_6_3_1704Paul BALOG
HISTORY OF THE DIRHEM
IN EGYPT
FROM THE FÀTIMID CONQUEST
UNTIL THE COLLAPSE
OF THE MAMLUK EMPIRE
358 H 922 H
968 AD 1517 AD
PL XII.
ABBREVIATIONS TO THE REFERENCES
ANS = George С. Miles, Fatimid Coins, Numismatic Notes and Monographs, No. 121, The
American Numismatic Society, N. Y., 1951.
Bergmann = Karl v. Bergmann, in Sitzungsberichle der К. Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien,
1873, p. 158-162.
BGA = Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum, éd. M. J. de Goeje, I-VIII, Leiden, 1870-1894.
BIE = Bulletin de l'Institut d'Egypte, articles by Paul Balog, XXXIII, 1951, XXXIV, 1952,
XXXV, 1953.
BM = Catalogue of Oriental Coins in the British Museum, by Stanley Lane-Poole, vol. IV,
1879.
BM Suppl. = Vol. IX of the above, 1889.
Khed. = Catalogue of Arabic Coins in the Khedivial Library in Cairo, 1897, by Stanley Lane-
Poole.
L = Vol. Ill of the Catalogue des Monnaies Orientales à la Bibliothèque Nationale à Paris, 1896,
by Henri Lavoix.
Maqrizi-Sacy = Traité des Monnoies Musulmanes, traduit de l'arabe de Makrizi... in Magasin
encyclopédique, VI, p. 472-507, 1796. Suite du Traité des Monnoies Musulmanes, traduit
de l'arabe de Makrizi... in Magasin encyclopédique, I, p. 38-98, 1797. Both translated by
Antoine Isaac Sylvestre de Sacy.
Maqrizi-Sacy Reprint = Extracts in Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale (IFAO), Biblio
thèque des Arabisants Français, 1905. Edited by Emile Chassinat.
0strup = C. 0STHUP, Catalogue des Monnaies Arabes et Turques au Musée National de Copen
hague, 1938.
QDAP = The Quarterly of the Department of Antiquities of Palestine.
RT = J. Farrugia de Candia, Monnaies Fatimites au Musée du Bardo in Revue Tunisienne,
1936.
RT Suppl = As above, but Premier Supplément, 1948. P. BALOG 110
Sauvaire = Henri Sauvaire, Matériaux pour servir à Vhistoire de la Numismatique et de la
Métrologie Musulmanes, Journal Asiatique, 1882-1887.
Soret = Frédéric Soret, Lettre à M. le Conseiller d'État de Dorn, Troisième Lettre sur les Méd
ailles Orientales inédites de la Collection de M. F. Soret. No. 88, Bruxelles, 1856, Impr.
E. Devroye, and Lettre à M. C. J. Tornberg sur Quelques Monnaies des Dynasties Alides,
in Revue Archéologique, 1856.
A remarkable study of the development of Egypt's monetary
system during the Middle Ages, from the Arab conquest until
the fall of the Mamldk empire, was made by Michel de Boiiard in
1939 1. Based on extensive research in Medieval and modern lit
erary sources, this publication presents a clear picture of the evo
lution of economic life, and the political factors which played an
important part therein. We are told what the country's original
resources were and what caused its riches to be ceaselessly drained.
M. de Bouard's paper deals with every aspect of the slow but
inexorable process of impoverishment and the continuous efforts
of consecutive governments to remedy the difficulties constantly
arising. M. de Botiard's references are fully comprehensive and one
can safely say that the author has made an excellent work on this
subject. Of course, this study is entirely based on a critical anal
ysis and synthesis of the numerous notes handed down by the
Medieval Arab historians, but some information gained from
modern numismatic works and catalogues of coin collections is
also profitably used. A special merit of the work is the welldefined
and set out role played by all the three metals — gold, silver and
copper — in the monetary history of Egypt.
Important contributions to the knowledge of the monetary
evolution in the Muslim Middle East were also made by A. S. Ehren-
kreutz. His « Extracts from the Technical Manual of Mansur Ibn
B'arâ » is of great value to the knowledge of the minting technique,
affinage, etc., used during the Ayyubid period 2 ; furthermore, he
studied the fiscal administration of the same epoch and the sub
sequent monetary changes 3. In other publications, Ehrenkreutz
deals with the gold coinage only * 5.
1. Boúard (Michel de), Sur révolution monétaire de l'Egypte médiévale. In L'Egypte Con
temporaine, XXX, No. 185, May 1939, p. 427-459.
2. Ehrenkreutz (Andrew S.), Kashf al asrár al ilmiya fi dar al darb al misriya, by Mansur
ibn В 'ara al Dahabi al Kàmili( Extracts from the Technical Manual on the Ayyubid Mint in Cairo.
In Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, XV, 1953, p. 502-514).
3.(Andrew S.), Contributions to the knowledge of the fiscal administration of
Egypt in the Middle Ages. In Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, XVI, 1954,
p. 502-514.
4. Ehrenkreutz (Andrew S.), The standard of fineness of gold coins circulating in Egypt at
the time of the Crusades. JAOS, LXXIV, 1954, p. 162-166.
5.S.), JAOS, LXXVI 1956, p. 178-184. OF THE DIRHEM IN EGYPT 111 HISTORY
Another paper, although on a somewhat different subject, must
be mentioned here, as it contains notes on the rapid debasement
of the dirhem : « The System of payment in Mamlùk Military
Society », by David Ayalon 4 This study too is based on literary
sources alone.
When dealing with the economic or monetary history of Muslim
Egypt, one should bear in mind that this country was, until the
Fâtimid conquest in 358 H, only a province of the Khalifate. During
the whole Umayyad and 'Abbasid period, Egypt had no inde
pendent coinage ; its currency was that of the Khalif. It is true
that, by 181 H, silver, and from 170 H onwards, also gold, were
minted in Cairo, but these issues were not different from any other
issues of the Khalifate. After the Arab conquest, however, there
was a new factor in the economic status of Egypt : the annual
tribute, always as heavy as it was possible to squeeze out of the
population, was the first step in the slow bleeding of the country
which received nothing in return from the Khalif.
A first step towards independence was taken by Ahmad Ibn
Tulûn, who was appointed a full governor in 258 H. However, the
first gold issue bearing his name did not come out until 266 H, so
that his complete independence should be reckoned as from that
date only.
Another attempt towards independence was made by Muham
mad al Ikhshïd, numismatically under the same circumstances,
although under the Ikhshidids the weight of gold coins was not
any more that of the legal dinar.
The situation changed drastically when Egypt fell under Fâtimid
rule. From that time on, the country was completely independent,
its economic and political links with the Khalifate were severed
and, because of the newly introduced sh'ia doctrine, the pondéral
and monetary systems were reformed.
Although in 567 Saladin abolished the Fâtimid Khalifate and
returned to the allegiance of the 'Abbâsids, Egypt henceforth
remained an independent, sovereign state. In 569 H, after Mahmud
ibn Zengui's death, not only did Saladin declare himself absolute
master of Egypt — which fact is clearly expressed on his coinage —
but his recognition of the Baghdad Khalifate became only an act
of pure courtesy. Saladin's rule in Egypt, however, brought no
perceptible economic change to the population ; although the cir-
1. Ayalon (David), The system of payment in Mamluk military society. In Journal of the Eco
nomic and Social History of the Orient, I, pt. 1, 1957, p. 37-65 and I, pt. 3, 1958, p. 257-296. 112 P. BALOG
dilating Fàtimid coinage was gradually replaced by currency
struck in Saladin's name, this coinage did not differ essentially
in its appearence and contents from the Fàtimid silver.
There is no doubt that, in order to understand the state of the
economic and monetary evolution of the Ayyubid period, it is
necessary to study first the preceding Fàtimid epoch, of which it
is but a continuation. The same applies to the transition from the
Ayyubid rule to that of the Mamluks.
It is therefore necessary to examine the course of the economic
life in Egypt as a whole, from the arrival of the Fàtimids to the
collapse of the Burji Mamluk empire, so that a true and coherent
picture can be obtained.
On the other hand, it was thought useful, or even necessary,
to complete the information gathered from the historians — which
was about the only knowledge we had so far — by as full an exa
mination as possible of the coin material itself. Just as coin ep
igraphy contributes important data to history, so does a study of
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