Sicily Golden coin tari, period of the County (Roger I and Roger II) 1073-1127 A.D. – 521 A.H.

    Gold coin (quarter dinar, called the tarì) struck in Sicily at the time of the count, under the authority of either Roger I "the Great Count", brother of Robert Guiscard, or his son Roger II. The type is attributed to the years 465 to 521 of the Moslem calendar, i.e. the years 1073 to 1127. Roger II, count from 1127 to 1130, was crowned king in 1130. As of that date, the tarì bore the king's name. On the obverse there is a T, or Greek tau, the Christian sign of the cross (?). The legend clipped around the edge bears a text in Arabic which gives no indication as to a date or mint. The field on the reverse bears the Moslem profession of faith in Arabic script: "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet!".

Dimensions of the object
Diameter 13 mm; weight 0.955 g

Bibliography
- B. La Gumina "Catalogo delle monete arabe esistenti nella Biblioteca Comunale di Palermo", Palermo, 1892
- "L'età normanna e sveva in Sicilia", Catalogo della mostra storico-documentaria e bibliografica. Organizzata dall' Assemblea Regionale Siciliana nel Palazzo dei Normanni a Palermo, 1994 (Monete serie III a cura di M. De Luca)

Location
Palermo, Biblioteca Comunale

Photography
G Cappellani