Ancient Bronze - Moroccan 4 Faluse - Mounted in Sterling Silver

Denomination:  Moroccan 4 Faluse                                      

Date: 1286 Islamic   

Mount: Sterling Silver                               

Description:  Minted during the Golden Age of Islam by Mohammed IV (1802-1873), the Sultan of Morocco. Obverse: Depicts the seal of Solomon as a six-pointed star with a circle in the center.  Reverse: Islamic text over a date (AH 1286) from the Islamic lunar calendar, which is around 621 years behind the Christian calendar dates.

 History: The Seal of Solomon is a six-pointed star or hexagram, also known as the Star of David. It was used on the Moroccan flag until 1915, when the flag was changed to a five-pointed star or pentagram. In Judaism, the Star of David, an extension of the Divine, or God, shielded the Biblical David in his battles.  It is also seen as a metaphysical symbol representing protection, strength, and energy.  Morocco, along with the rest of North Africa, had a large Jewish population from ancient times which was prominent in Mediterranean trade. This population was boosted by the expulsions from Spain and Italy in the 1492's and 1500's which would have been more familiar with European languages and numbers.

 RM152-4