Israel unearths rare Islamic coins

425 pure gold pieces dating back over 1,000 years

Israeli archaeologists on Monday announced the discovery of 1,100-year-old Islamic gold coins dating back to the Abbasid period, Israel Hayom reported.

The collection of 425 pure gold pieces were found by young volunteers during recent excavations near the central city of Yavne.

“The uniqueness of this hoard, which dates to the Abbasid dynasty, is that it can teach us about the rising and prosperous international commerce in the area, as opposed to the dwindling use of gold in the commerce in Europe at the same time period,” Israel Antiquities Authority Dr Liat Nadav-Ziv said.

The Abbasids ruled much of the Arab world from Baghdad between the 8th to 13th century.

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