Nasrid Dirham

The Nasrid dirham's inscriptions, often in elegant Kufic script, praised Allah and the ruling emir, a tradition that persisted right up to Granada's fall in 1492.

These silver coins were minted in Granada, the last Islamic stronghold in Iberia, using metal likely sourced from local mines—a practical necessity amid ongoing wars. Designs varied little over the two centuries, featuring a simple obverse with the emir's name and a reverse with Islamic declarations, which kept production straightforward. We don't know exact mintage figures; records from that era are scarce, probably destroyed in later conflicts.

One oddity: some dirhams show signs of overstriking older coins, a frugal habit that saved resources but baffled modern cataloguers.

Counterfeits weren't uncommon, even then, though spotting them takes a keen eye and a loupe—something I've used more times than I'd care to admit.