Disfrutar
in the Alhambra

Nasrid Doubloons is an exhibition of gold coins dating to the time of sultan Yusuf I (1333-1354) and recently acquired by the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife (PAG). Installed in Room I of the Museum of the Alhambra, the exhibition runs from 18 May 2011 to 31 December 2012, from Tuesday to Sunday, from 8.30 am to 2.30 pm.
The dinars minted by the Nasrid sultans were known as “doubloons” or doblas to their Christian contemporaries, and certain exceptional pieces have survived to this day. Doubloons, such as these four issued by Yusuf I, constituted the basis of the Nasrid gold coinage system.
Yusuf I gold doubloons were minted following the Almohad pattern, sharing a common formal and symbolic feature – the square combined with the circle. The inscription on the reverse of each of these four coins, as in the walls of the Alhambra, repeats the dynastic motto of the Nasrid sultanate, “There is no conqueror but God” and the Arab term al-mulk (“the power”), underlining the dominant role of the single deity and the legitimisation of political power through religious ideology.
Location: Museum of the Alhambra. Room I. Palace of Carlos V.
Dates: 18 May 2011 – 31 December 2012.
Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 08.30 – 14.30.