FATIMID, AL-MUNTAZAR (524-526h) Dinar, Misr 525h Obverse: Outer margin: mint and date Inner margin: Abu’l-Qasim al-Muntazar bi-amr Allah Amir al-Mu‘minin In centre: al-Imam | Muhammad Weight: 4.42g Reference: Nicol 2590. Fine or better and very rare. After the assassination of al-Amir in 524h, al-Hafiz was named as his successor. He was quickly imprisoned by the ambitious Kutayfat, the son of al-Amir’s vizier, who took advantage of this situation to make a grasp for power. ‘Kutayfat declared the Fatimid dynasty deposed and proclaimed the sovereignty of al-Mahdi, the twelfth imam of the Twelver Shi’is, whose reappearance had been expected since 260/874. As a result of this ingenious religio-political solution...[Kutayfat] acquired a unique position of power, ruling as a dictator responsible to no one either in theory or practice.’ (Daftary, F., The Isma‘ilis: Their History and Doctrines, Cambridge, 2007). On the present coin, al-Mahdi is called al-Muntazar, ‘the Expected One’. Kutayfat struck coins in his name until he himself was deposed and executed in 526h.

Estimate: GBP 1500 - 2000