A small pottery jar containing four pure gold coins dating back to the early Islamic period, more than 1,000 years ago, was unearthed during archaeological excavations in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said. The work was performed as part of the Jewish quarter development corporation’s plan to build an elevator to make the Western Wall Plaza more accessible to visitors.

The juglet was found by IAA inspector Yevgenia Kapil during preliminary digging at the site last month. Some weeks later, as excavation director David Gellman was examining the finds, he emptied the contents of the juglet. “To my great surprise, along with the soil, four shiny gold coins fell into my hand,” Gellman said.

According to IAA coin expert Dr. Robert Kool, the coins were beautifully preserved and immediately identifiable. The coins date from the late 940s to the 990s C.E., and include two gold dinars minted during the rule of Caliph Al-Muti (946-974 C.E.), and two minted in Cairo by the Fatimid rulers Al-Mu’izz (953-975 C.E.) and his successor, Al-‘Aziz (975-996 C.E.)