A rare find, testimony to a time of political upheaval in the Middle East.
Israeli archaeologists have discovered four pure gold coins in the Old City of Jerusalem, which were minted over a thousand years ago.
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The Israel Antiquities Authority (AIA) said the coins were discovered during excavations near the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest place of prayer.
The artefacts, contained in a small jug, "
were in excellent preservation and immediately identifiable even without cleaning them,
" IAA antique parts specialist Robert Kool said in a statement.
The pieces date from the late 10th century AD (between 940 and 970), "
a time of radical political change
", in and around Jerusalem, according to Robert Kool.
During this period, the ruling Sunni Abbasid Caliphate, which was headquartered in Baghdad, lost control of Jerusalem to its rival, the Fatimid dynasty which will rule from Cairo for more than two centuries.
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"
This is the first time in fifty years that a gold cache from the Fatimid period has been discovered in the Old City of Jerusalem,
" said the specialist.
Israeli archaeologists last discovered Fatimid-period gold shortly after the 1967 Six Day War, which saw Israel take control of East Jerusalem, the Palestinian part of the city, from Jordan, before to annex it.
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