Coin Morocco Alawites, Sidi Mohammed III - Silver Dirham - 1189 AH (1775 / 1776) Essaouira

This silver dirham was struck in 1189 AH, corresponding to the years 1775?1776 of the Gregorian calendar, during the reign of Sidi Mohammed III.

The issue of this dirham is attributed to the mint of Essaouira, a port city founded in its modern configuration at the initiative of Sidi Mohammed III from 1765 onwards. Designed by the French architect Théodore Cornut, the city was conceived as a major commercial and diplomatic centre, intended to structure the kingdom's maritime trade.

Sidi Mohammed III, who reigned from 1757 to 1790, ranks among the most diplomatically active Alaoui rulers. His reign was marked by a policy of internal stabilisation following several decades of unrest, as well as by the development of commercial relations with European powers. He is notably known for having been the first sovereign to recognise the independence of the United States in 1777.

The striking of this dirham took place against a backdrop of economic and political renewal within the sultanate. The silver coin circulated within a vast trading network linking Moroccan domestic markets to Mediterranean and Atlantic commercial circuits. This issue thus bears witness to the strategic role of Essaouira in the monetary and commercial organisation of the kingdom at that time.