Common motifs on the Arab coins of West Asia

Started by <k>, March 05, 2014, 04:38:40 PM

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<k>



Lebanon, 50 pounds, 2006.  Lateen rigged sloop.


We associate the Arab lands with desert.

However, their traditional small boats, sloops and dhows are very important.

They are essential for negotiating their waterways.
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<k>

#1
Muscat and Oman 5 baiza 1962.jpg

Muscat and Oman, 5 baiza, 1962.  Dhow.
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<k>

#2
UAE 10 fils 2011.jpg

United Arab Emirates, 10 fils, 1973.  Dhow.
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<k>

#3


People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, 50 fils, 1984.

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<k>

#4


Bahrain, 50 fils, 1992.



Kuwait 2001.jpg

Kuwait, 2001.





Qatar, 50 dirhams, 1998.  Dhow.



Qatar 2016.jpg

Qatar, new common reverse since 2006.
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<k>

#5

Notice the palm trees on the Qatari coin in the post above, which brings us to the next subject.

Nutrionally important for their dates and coconuts, palm trees appear on several Arab coins.





The reverse of an Omani 10 baiza coin of 1975.

It was issued as part of the FAO programme and features palm trees and fish.

The inscription reads: "Work on the development of food resources  The Sultanate of Oman".
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<k>

#6
Bahrain 10 fils 2009.jpg

Bahrain, 10 fils, 2009.  Palm tree.
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<k>

#7
Iraq 1 dinar 1981.jpg

Iraq, 1 dinar, 1981.  Palm trees.
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<k>

#8


United Arab Emirates, 1 fils, 1973.  Palm tree.
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<k>

#9
Saudi Arabia 100 halala 1977.jpg

Saudi Arabia, 100 halala, 1977.  Palm tree and swords.
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<k>

#10


Omani, 100 baiza, 1984.


And the Saudi swords bring us to the Omani swords.
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<k>

#11
Yemen 5 Fils 1971.jpg

Yemen, Democratic Republic, 5 fils, 1971.
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<k>

#12

The aptly named arabesque used to be a common sight on Arab coins, but it is not so frequently seen nowadays.




Jordan, ½ dinar, 1980.  Arabesque.
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<k>

#13
Syria 5 piastres 1948.jpg

The Syrian 5 piastres coin of 1948 features an attractive arabesque.
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<k>

#14
Qatar and Dubai'.jpg

Qatar and Dubai.  Gazelle.

Common reverse of the Qatar and Dubai coinage, first issued in 1966.





United Arab Emirates, 25 fils, 1973.


Relatively few of the West Asian Arab states have used modern thematic designs on their coins: I would list the UAE, Syria and Yemen as meeting the criteria, and maybe (just) the defunct People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. I wouldn't really count the coinage of the Qatar and Dubai currency union, simply because the same design grace all the reverses. However, it's interesting that both "Qatar and Dubai" and subsequently the United Arab Emirates (of which Dubai is now a part) chose to depict an Arab dune gazelle (Gazella leptoceros).
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