Artuqid Bronze Dirham of Najm al-Din Alpi — Gemini/Virgo Type

Own One of the Most Distinctive Pictorial Coins of Medieval Mardin

The exact bronze dirham of Najm al-Din Alpi shown, struck by the Artuqid rulers of Mardin and traditionally described in numismatic references as a Gemini/Virgo type.

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🏛 Struck in the 12th century during the Crusades era
⭐ Traditionally catalogued with Gemini/Virgo zodiacal imagery
🌍 Part of the remarkable pictorial bronze coinage of the medieval Jazira

Own This Piece of History

Why This Coin Matters

Najm al-Din Alpi ruled the Artuqid principality centered on Mardin from AD 1152 to 1176. The Artuqid domains lay in a region where Islamic, Byzantine, Armenian, local Christian, and Crusader political and artistic traditions interacted.

Artuqid bronze coinage is famous for its unusually rich figural imagery. Its engravers drew on a wide range of visual sources, including classical and late antique motifs, while surrounding those images with Arabic inscriptions identifying contemporary rulers and authorities.

This issue is conventionally described as the Gemini/Virgo type. Zodiacal and astral imagery had a long history in the Near East and remained important in medieval astronomy, astrology, manuscripts, luxury objects, and court culture.

The precise intended meaning of this coin's imagery, however, is not securely known. It is safer to preserve the traditional numismatic identification than to claim that the design definitively expressed 'cosmic order, kingship, and divine harmony.' Those are possible interpretive themes, not messages established by the coin itself.

The real historical importance of the type is already substantial: it demonstrates how a medieval Islamic ruler could employ inherited figural and astral imagery alongside Arabic inscriptions, producing a coinage distinctive to the culturally interconnected world of Upper Mesopotamia.

Perfect For

• Medieval Islamic coin collectors
• Collectors of zodiac and astronomical imagery
• Crusades-era history enthusiasts
• Collectors of Artuqid and Jaziran coinage
• Anyone seeking an unusual medieval pictorial coin

What You'll Receive

• The exact bronze dirham pictured
• Civilization: Artuqid Dynasty
• Ruler: Najm al-Din Alpi (AD 1152–1176)
• Mint: Mardin
• Century: 12th Century AD
• Denomination: Bronze Dirham
• Type: Traditionally catalogued as Gemini/Virgo
• Guaranteed authentic

Buy with Confidence

• Guaranteed authentic medieval coin
• Carefully sourced and attributed
• 30-day return policy
• Secure shipping from the U.S.

Learn More

Continue the story in the Kinzer Coins Journal: Artuqid Coins of Mardin: Figural Islamic Coinage Explained.