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Dinar gold coin, from North Africa or Spain, 1184–99.
Photograph by Beesnest McClain. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by the Joan Palevsky Bequest, M.2006.143.14
dinar, monetary unit used in several Middle Eastern countries, including Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, and Tunisia. It was first introduced as an “Islamic coinage” in the late 7th century ce by ʿAbd al-Malik, the fifth caliph (685–705) of the Umayyad dynasty. The dinar dates from Roman times, when it was known as denarius.
Among the countries in which the dinar is used, Iraq was the first to gain independence as a modern state. The Iraqi dinar is divided into 20 dirhams and is the equivalent of 1,000 fils. The Central Bank of Iraq has the sole authority to issue banknotes and coins in Iraq. Banknotes are issued in denominations ranging from 250 to 50,000 dinars. Inflation—largely the result of wars and international economic sanctions in the 1980s and ’90s—depressed the purchasing power of the currency, rendering coins virtually obsolete after 1990. However, in 2004, after the start of the Iraq War, new 25- and 100-dinar coins were introduced; both were subsequently withdrawn. The fronts and backs of both banknotes and coins contain images, symbols, and text of Arab and Islamic historical significance, including the spiral minaret in Sāmarrāʾ and the Dokan Dam on the Little Zab River.
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Iraqi 50,000-dinar banknote (reverse).
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Dinar banknotes from Bahrain.
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This article was most recently revised and updated by John M. Cunningham.
