Bodour starts drive to document rare Islamic coins in Milan

Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has launched a scientific initiative to document a rare collection of Islamic coins preserved at Sforzesco Castle in Milan.

- Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The collection comprises 1,103 coins spanning multiple historical periods, led by the oldest known Arab-Islamic dinar dated 77 AH.

The project reexamines the economic and cultural transformations that shaped the identity of Islamic civilisation and underscores its enduring impact on human history.

The initiative is supported by the Sharjah Book Authority in collaboration with the Arabic Cultural Institute at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan.

It aims to revive Islamic heritage in Italy and make it accessible to researchers and specialists.

Considered one of the rarest Islamic coin collections discovered outside the Arab world, the trove has drawn international scholarly attention as a unique reference for the evolution of Islamic monetary and administrative systems.

Despite its historical significance, the collection remained preserved for decades in a museum within the castle, largely outside academic research circles, and did not receive documentation and study proportionate to its importance. The collection includes coins originating from diverse Islamic regions across different historical periods.