Dinar of Salah al-Din, Al-Qahirah
This gold dinar was minted in 1192 during the Ayyubid dynasty under the direction of Salah al-Din (r. 1169-1193), the first Sultan of Egypt. Following the conquests of Jerusalem and other Middle Eastern lands, the Crusaders decided to continue using and even minting imitations of these gold dinars. Despite the heavy Islamic nature of these coins, Crusaders understood the significant value of these gold dinars throughout the Mediterranean and, contrary to their religious motivations, chose to keep their Quranic inscriptions.