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Tajikistan: post-Soviet coinage

Started by <k>, October 14, 2020, 03:40:55 PM

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<k>



Dushanbe, the capital city of Tajikistan.


From Wikipedia:

The Republic of Tajikistan is a mountainous, landlocked country in Central Asia. It has an area of 143,100 km2 (55,300 sq miles) and a population of 9.5 million. The territory that now constitutes Tajikistan has been ruled by numerous empires and dynasties, including the Achaemenid Empire, Sasanian Empire, Hephthalite Empire, Samanid Empire and the Mongol Empire. After being ruled by the Timurid dynasty and the Khanate of Bukhara, the Timurid Renaissance flourished.

The region was later conquered by the Russian Empire and subsequently by the Soviet Union. Within the Soviet Union, the country's modern borders were drawn when it was part of Uzbekistan as an autonomous republic, before becoming a full-fledged Soviet republic in 1929. The traditional homelands of the Tajik people include parts of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

On 9 September 1991, Tajikistan became an independent sovereign nation when the Soviet Union disintegrated. A civil war was fought almost immediately after independence, lasting from 1992 to 1997. Since the end of the war, newly established political stability and foreign aid have allowed the country's economy to grow. The country, led by President Emomali Rahmon since 1994, has been criticised by a number of non-governmental organizations for authoritarian leadership, corruption and widespread violations of human rights.

Most of Tajikistan's population belongs to the Tajik ethnic group, who speak Tajik (a dialect of Persian). Russian is used as the inter-ethnic language. While the state is constitutionally secular, Islam is practiced by 98% of the population. Mountains cover more than 90% of the country. It has a transition economy that is highly dependent on remittances, aluminium and cotton production.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#1


Map of Tajikistan.




Map of Central Asia and the Caucasus.


The Tajik language is related to the language of Iran.

The languages of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are Turkic languages.

Their languages are related to the Turkish language.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#2


From Wikipedia:

The State Emblem of Tajikistan is a modified version of the original emblem of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic that was in use until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Like other post-Soviet republics whose symbols do not predate the October Revolution, the current emblem retains some components of the Soviet one.

The crown at the center of the emblem is the same as the one on the Tajik national flag. It refers to the Persian word taj, meaning crown, from which the name of the Tajik people is said to be derived. The base of the emblem contains a representation of a book and the Pamir Mountains. The emblem is flanked by cotton on one side and wheat on the other. A banner of the national red-white-green colors of Tajikistan is wrapped around the cotton and wheat.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#3


From Wikipedia:

The flag of Tajikistan is a tricolour of red, white, and green. The red represents the unity of the nation, as well as victory and sunrise. The red also serves as symbolism of the former Russian and Soviet eras, the workers, and the warriors who sacrificed their lives to protect the land. The white represents purity, morality, the snow and ice of the mountains, and cotton. The green represents the bountiful generosity of nature, fertile valleys, the religion of Islam, and the celebration of Novruz, the Persian New Year. Other interpretations of the colours state that the flag symbolically unifies the people of Tajik society, with the red stripe representing the manual labour class, the white stripe representing the intellectual worker class, and the green representing the agricultural class living in Tajikistan's rural or mountainous regions.

While the red and green stripes on the top and bottom are equal in size, the center stripe is one-and-a-half times that of the others. The crown and stars are set in a rectangle taking up 80% of the white stripe's height. The crown represents the Tajik people, as the name Tajik is connected with Persian tâj "crown" in popular etymology. The flag of Tajikistan features seven stars, due to the significance of the number seven in Tajik traditional legends, representing perfection and happiness. According to traditional belief, the heavens feature seven mountains and seven orchard gardens with a star shining above each mountain.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#4
INTRODUCTION OF THE SOMONI

From Wikipedia:

Like a number of other republics of the former Soviet Union, Tajikistan continued using the Soviet and Russian rubles for a few years after independence. On July 26 1993, when the new Russian ruble was issued, old Soviet rubles ceased to be legal tender in Russia.

In Tajikistan, pre-1993 Soviet rubles ceased to be legal tender on 8 January 1994. On May 10 1995 the Tajikistani ruble replaced the Russian ruble at a rate of 1 Tajikistani ruble to 100 Russian rubles. The rouble or ruble was the currency of Tajikistan between May 10 1995 and October 29 2000. It was subdivided into 100 tanga. Only banknotes were issued at this stage, but no banknotes were ever issued that were denominated in tanga.

Among the republics of the former Soviet Union, Tajikistan was the last to issue its own currency. Transnistria, an unrecognized state, issued its own ruble before Tajikistan did. The reason for this was largely lack of funds and resources. Tajikistan was the poorest of the former soviet republics, and this was compounded further by the disorganization caused by the civil war in Tajikistan.

By the end of the decade, rampant inflation caused by the economic problems had essentially destroyed the Tajikistani ruble, and plans to replace it with a new currency were drawn up in 1999. On October 30 2000 the somoni was introduced. It replaced the ruble, with 1 somoni equal to 1000 rubles.

The currency is divided into 100 diram for one somoni. Diram banknotes were first introduced on 30 October 2000, and coins were introduced later in 2001 with the intention of creating a more efficient monetary system and gradually replacing the diram notes. This was also the first time that circulating coins were introduced in Tajikistan. Circulation coins, first issued in 2001, were struck in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 25, 50 diram composed of brass-clad steel and 1, 3, and 5 somoni in nickel-clad steel.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#5


Tajikistan: coin series of 2001.


The diram coins comprised the subunits of the currency.

Their common obverse featured the Saminid crown and the seven stars from the Tajik flag.


The 5, 10 and 20 diram coins were made of brass-plated steel.

The 25 and 50 diram coins were made of brass.


There was no 1 diram coin.


The 5 diram coin weighed 2 grams and was 16.5 mm in diameter.

The 10 diram coin weighed 2.4 grams and was 17.5 mm in diameter.

The 20 diram coin weighed 2.7 grams and was 18.5 mm in diameter.

The 25 diram coin weighed 2.76 grams and was 19 mm in diameter.

The 50 diram coin weighed 3.6 grams and was 21 mm in diameter.


There was therefore not much difference in the weight, size and look of these coins.

Also unusual was the inclusion of a 25 diram denomination alongside the 20 diram coin.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#6
Tajikistan 25 diram 2001.jpg


The diram coins all had similar designs on the reverse.

Here is a closer look at the 25 diram coin of 2001.


At the bottom right of the reverse of the coin is a mint mark.

It is the mint mark of the Saint Petersburg Mint (Russia).
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#7
Tajikistan 1 somoni 2001.jpg


The obverse of the copper-nickel 1 somoni coin depicted Ismail Samani.

He was the Samanid amir of Transoxiana (892–907) and Khorasan (900–907).

His reign saw the emergence of the Samanids as a powerful force.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#8
Tajikistan 1 somoni 2001-.jpg


The reverse of the 1 somoni coin.

The coin was 23.9 mm in diameter and weighed 5.15 grams.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#9
Tajikistan 3 somoni 2001.jpg


The obverse of the copper-nickel 3 somoni coin featured the national emblem.

The coin was 25.5 mm in diameter and weighed 6.3 grams.


A 3 unit coin is an unusual denomination in a decimal system.

However, the Russians and the Soviets used such denominations.

The Tajiks were no doubt influenced by the former Soviet coinage.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#10
Tajikistan 5 somoni 2001.jpg


The obverse of the copper-nickel 5 somoni coin depicted Rudaki.

He was a Persian poet who lived from the year 859 to 941.


The 5 somoni coin was 26.5 mm in diameter and weighed 7.1 grams.

It was the highest denomination of the series.


A latent image is embedded in the figure '5' on the reverse of the coin.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#11


Tajikistan: coin series of 2006.


In 2006 Tajikistan issued an amended set of coins.

The diram coins now featured larger values on the reverse.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#12
Tajikistan 25 diram 2006.jpg

Here you see a 25 diram coin of 2006.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>



A reminder of the 25 diram coin of 2001.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#14
Tajikistan set 2011.jpg

Tajikistan: coin series of 2011.


In 2011 Tajikistan issued a new coin series.

It consisted of 1, 2,5 10, 20 and 50 diram and 1 somoni.


This time there was no 25 diram coin.

I have read that the 1 diram coin did not circulate.


Here you see the reverse of the coins and their relative sizes.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.