Dinar

Nations in dark green currently use a currency known as the dinar. Nations in light green previously used a dinar. States of former Yugoslavia appear in the inset to the lower left.

The dinar (/dɪˈnɑːr/, /ˈdiːnɑː(r)/) is the name of the principal currency unit in several countries near the Mediterranean Sea, with a more widespread historical use. The English word "dinar" is the transliteration of the Arabic دينار (dīnār), which was possibly borrowed via the Syriac dīnarā from the Latin dēnārius.

The modern gold dinar is a projected bullion gold coin, and as of 2019 is not issued as an official currency by any state.

History

Silver dinar from the reign of Serbian king Stefan Uroš I (1243–1255).

The modern dinar's historical antecedents are the Eastern Roman silver denarius (Greek δηνάριο - "dinario"), and the gold dinar and silver dirham, the main coin of the medieval Islamic empires, first issued in AH 77 (696–697 AD) (Late Antiquity) by Ummayad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. The word "dinar" derives from the Latin word "dēnārius," a silver coin of ancient Rome, which was first minted c. 211 BC.

The Kushan Empire introduced a gold coin known as the dīnāra in India in the 1st century AD; the Gupta Empire and its successors up to the 6th century adopted the coin.

The 8th-century English king Offa of Mercia minted imitations of Abbasid dinars struck in 774 by Caliph al-Mansur with "Offa Rex" centred on the reverse. The moneyer likely had no understanding of Arabic as the Arabic text contains many errors. Such coins may have been produced for trade with Islamic Spain. These coins are called a Mancus, which is also derived from the Arabic language.

Countries with current usage

Countries currently using a currency called "dinar" or similar:

Umayyad Caliphate golden dinar.
Countries Currency ISO 4217 code
Algeria Algerian dinar DZD
Bahrain Bahraini dinar BHD
Iraq Iraqi dinar IQD
Jordan Jordanian dinar JOD
Kuwait Kuwaiti dinar KWD
Libya Libyan dinar LYD
North Macedonia Macedonian denar MKD
MKN (1992−1993)
Serbia Serbian dinar RSD
CSD (2003–2006)
Tunisia Tunisian dinar TND

As a subunit

  • 1⁄100 of the Iranian rial, although functionally obsolete due to inflation. Coins in the subunit were last minted in 1979.

Non-circulating

Countries with former usage in the 20th century

Countries and regions which have previously used a currency called "dinar" in the 20th century:

Countries Currency ISO 4217 code Used Replaced by
Abu DhabiBahraini dinarBHD1966–1973United Arab Emirates Dirham
Republic of Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina dinarBAD1992–1998Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark
CroatiaCroatian dinarHRD1991–1994Croatian kuna
Imperial Iran Iranian Rial subunit IRR 1931–1979 Subunit obsolete
South YemenYemeni dinarYDD1965–1990Yemeni rial
Yemen 1990–1996
SudanSudanese dinarSDD1992–2007Sudanese pound
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
SFR Yugoslavia
FR Yugoslavia		 Yugoslav dinarYUF (1945–1965)
YUD (1965–1989)
YUN (1990–1992)
YUR (1992–1993)
YUO (1993)
YUG (1994)
YUM (1994–2003)		1918–2003Serbian dinar

Countries with historical usage before the 20th century

Historical countries and empires which used a currency or coin called "dinar" prior to the 20th century:

Countries Currency Used Replaced by
Cornwall Cornish Dynar 900– 960 English Penny
Ummayad Caliphate Ummayad Dinar 680– 750 Abbasid Dinar
Abbasid Caliphate Abbasid Dinar 750– 1258 Mamluk Dinar
Mamluk Sultanate Mamluk Dinar 1250– 1517 Ottoman Akçe

See also

References

  1. ↑ Oxford English Dictionary, Second edition, 1989, s.v. "dinar"; online version November 2010
  2. ↑ Versteegh, C. H. M.; Versteegh, Kees (2001). The Arabic Language. Edinburgh University Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-7486-1436-3.
  3. ↑ Friedberg, Arthur L.; Friedberg, Ira S. (2009). Gold Coins of the World: From Ancient Times to the Present. Coin & Currency Institute. p. 457. ISBN 978-0-87184-308-1.
  4. ↑ Mookerji, Radhakumud (2007). The Gupta Empire. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-81-208-0440-1.
  5. ↑ "Coin | British Museum".
  6. ↑ Medieval European Coinage Archived 2023-08-12 at the Wayback Machine by Philip Grierson, p. 330.
  7. ↑ "THE GOLD "MANCUS" - jstor". JSTOR 42680243.