Umayyad: al-Walid I (705-715), pale gold dinar/solidus (3.86g), SPN (Spania/al-Andalus) mint, indiction year XI (11), AH 93-95 (711-714 CE). Arab-Latin/Arab-Byzantine. Very rare. First Islamic coinage of Spain.
Umayyad: al-Walid I (705-715), pale gold dinar/solidus (3.86g), SPN (Spania/al-Andalus) mint, indiction year XI (11), AH 93-95 (711-714 CE). Arab-Latin/Arab-Byzantine series. Album 122 (RR). Lovely specimen. Extremely fine. Very rare. Ex. CNG Auction 88 (2011) lot 1780, previously CNG Auction 70 (2005) lot 1144. This important rarity comes from a turning point in the Iberian Peninsula's monetary history, shortly after the Umayyad conquest began in AH 92. It belongs to the earliest phase of Islamic coinage in al-Andalus, produced between AH 93 and 95. Its importance goes beyond its age. As one of the first Islamic coins struck in Spain, it marks the moment when a new political and religious authority began to establish itself in the region. Rather than immediately replacing existing systems, the early Muslim administration adapted local practices, which is something clearly seen in the use of Latin inscriptions. This suggests a period of transition, where continuity helped maintain economic stability while governance was changing hands. The coin also reflects how Islamic rule gradually introduced its own identity. Arabic did not appear on coins in al-Andalus until a new design was introduced in AH 98, signaling a clearer expression of Islamic authority and culture. By AH 102, fully reformed dinars with Arabic inscriptions had replaced these earlier types, aligning al-Andalus more closely with the wider Islamic world.