Dinar – Marrakesh Branch of Saadi dynasty

In 1608, the currency situation at the Saadi dynasty's branch in Marrakesh was one of managed complexity within a prosperous but demanding imperial framework. As the southern capital and a vital hub for trans-Saharan trade, Marrakesh saw a confluence of currencies. The primary official coinage was the Saadi silver dirham and gold benduqi, minted under the authority of Sultan Zidan Abu Maali (r. 1603–1627). These coins, particularly the gold, were essential for financing the state, paying the army, and engaging in international trade, but their supply was often strained by the dynasty's ongoing conflicts with Ottoman-aligned forces and internal rebellions.

Locally, the Marrakesh market also relied heavily on a flood of foreign specie, reflecting the city's commercial vitality. Spanish reales and Ottoman altuns circulated widely alongside the official coinage, brought by European merchants and caravan traders. Furthermore, the continued use of low-value fulus (copper coins) for everyday transactions was critical for the city's vast souks and artisanal workshops. The branch authorities, therefore, had to constantly balance the integrity of the royal mint's output against the practical reality of a monetized economy dependent on diverse metallic inflows.

This period was one of relative monetary stability for Marrakesh compared to the earlier 16th-century upheavals, yet underlying pressures were evident. The Sultanate's need to control bullion flows often led to strict regulations on currency export, especially of gold, from the city. The Marrakesh branch’s primary challenge was to ensure a stable and sufficient money supply to sustain both the luxurious court and the commercial engine of the city, all while channeling wealth north to the primary capital in Fez and to coastal defenses. This delicate equilibrium underscored the Saadi state's broader struggle to consolidate its economic power amid external threats and internal fiscal demands.