Gold Coins, at Bottom of Sea for Millennium, Go on Display

CAESAREA, Israel — Israel on Wednesday unveiled the largest collection of medieval gold coins ever found in the country, accidentally discovered by amateur divers and dating back about a thousand years.

The find was made two weeks ago near the port city of Caesarea and consists of about 2,000 coins, weighing about 13 pounds, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.

Most of the coins, though, appear to have belonged to the Fatimid caliphs Al-Hakim and his son Al-Zahir and been minted later. The Fatimid kingdom ruled Northern Africa beginning in the 10th century.

A version of this article appears in print on February 19, 2015, on page A7 of the New York edition with the headline: Gold Coins, at Bottom of Sea For Millennium, Go on Display. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe

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