Umayyad Felus

One of the most intriguing aspects of the Umayyad Felus is that they were often struck on recycled copper blanks from earlier Visigothic coins, blending old and new regimes in a single piece of metal.

This made for a practical currency in Al-Andalus, where the Umayyads needed to establish their economy quickly after 711. The coins, typically small and unadorned, bore simple Arabic inscriptions like "felus" for "copper," signaling the shift to Islamic rule. We know they circulated widely for daily transactions, from markets in Cordoba to rural villages, but exact designs varied by mint, with some showing crude stamps that suggest rushed production.

Minting likely occurred at several sites, though records are sparse—much was lost in later conflicts. As for quantities, no reliable figures survive; historians guess at millions, but that's just speculation.

Some collectors fixate on these as symbols of conquest, which gets tiresome. They were, after all, just coins people used to buy bread.