Tarì

Tarì (from Arabic طري ṭarī, lit. 'fresh' or 'newly minted money')^[1] was the Christian designation of a type of gold coin of Islamic origin minted in Sicily, Malta and Southern Italy from about 913 to the 13th century.^[2]

Norman tarì of Roger II of Sicily, with Arabic inscriptions, minted in Palermo. Now in the British Museum.

A pre-Norman Sicilian ruba'i/tarì in the name of Caliph Al-Mustansir. British Museum.

A pre-Norman Sicilian ruba'i/tarì in the name of Caliph Al-Hakim, 1005. British Museum.

History

See also: History of coins in Italy

In the Islamic world, this type of coin was designated under the name ruba'i (رباعي), or quarter-dinar, as it weighed 1.05 g (0.034 ozt) of gold.^[1] The ruba'i had been minted by the Muslims in Sicily, unlike the Muslim rulers of North Africa, who preferred the larger dinar.^[3] It became highly popular as it was smaller and therefore more convenient than the large-sized 4.25 g (0.137 ozt) dinar.^[4]

The tarì were so widespread that imitations were made in Southern Italy (Amalfi and Salerno) from the mid-tenth century, which only used illegible "pseudo-Kufic" imitations of Arabic.^[1][4][3] When the Normans invaded Sicily in the 11th century, they issued tarì coins bearing legends in Arabic and Latin.^[5] Roger II of Sicily issued such coins, becoming the only Western ruler at that time to mint gold coins. Their composition was 16+1⁄3 carat gold (0.681 fineness) with some adjunction of silver and copper.^[3] The tarì were also produced by the Hohenstaufens and the early Angevins.^[6]

The tarì coins were generally minted from African gold obtained from Misrata or Tunis in North Africa in exchange for grain.^[6] Nowadays, the tari is a subunit (1⁄12) of the scudo, souvenir coins issued by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

See also

• History of coins in Italy
• Islamic contributions to Medieval Europe
• Norman-Arab-Byzantine culture