Union dinar
The Union dinar (Arabic: الدينار الاتحادي ad-dīnār al-ittiḥādī; symbol: ð; ISO code: UND) is the national currency of the Arab Union. It is minted by the Union Mint in Damascus and issued by the Arab Union Central Bank. It is divided into 100 ma'āt (مئات; sg. mi'ah مئة) and 1000 fils (فلس; singular and plural). However, fils coins have been out of circulation since 1988 and the 1 mi'ah coin since 2016, with the lowest value coin currently in circulation being 5 ma'āt, or 5/100 of a dinar (ð0.05); fils are also obsolete in digital form, with balances always rounded to the nearest mi'ah (ð0.01), or nearest quintuple mi'ah (ð0.05) when using cash.
The current exchange rate as of late August 2024 is ð1.00 = US$0.688.
Symbol[edit | edit source]
The symbol/sign of the Union dinar is ð. In both Arabic and Roman script, it appears to the left of the value: therefore, ð358 appears in Arabic script as ð٣٥٨.
Coins and notes[edit | edit source]
As of 2022, the following denominations are issued in coin and bill form by the Central Bank and in regular circulation:
- 5 ma'āt (ð0.05) coin
- 10 ma'āt (ð0.1) coin
- 25 ma'āt (ð0.25) coin
- 1 dinar coin
- 1 dinar bill (rare, but still valid)
- 5 dinar bill
- 10 dinar bill
- 20 dinar bill
- 50 dinar bill
- 100 dinar bill
Designs[edit | edit source]
- All coins have the coat of arms embossed on the obverse, and the value in traditional Arabic script (example: .٢٥ instead of 0.25) and the official state name (Union of Arab Republics) in Arabic surrounding value, with year of mint in traditional script at bottom, on reverse. All coins are silver in colour with the exception of the one-dinar coin, which is golden.
- One-dinar bill is purple-grey in colour, featuring Umayyad Mosque on obverse and Gamal Abdel Nasser on reverse; both sides of bill read "Arab Union Central Bank" in Arabic and English, and display value in both script styles (١ and 1).
- Five-dinar bill is grey-green in colour, featuring Giza Pyramids on obverse and Hafez al-Assad on reverse; there is a semi-reflective silver holographic strip of a repeating coat of arms pattern 5 cm in width, positioned 5 cm from the left of the obverse side; both sides of bill read "Arab Union Central Bank" in Arabic and English, and display value in both script styles (٥ and 5).
- Ten-dinar bill is maroon in colour, featuring Saint Catherine's Monastery on obverse and Gamal Abdel Nasser on reverse; there is a semi-reflective silver holographic strip of a repeating coat of arms pattern 5 cm in width, positioned 5 cm from the left of the obverse side; both sides of bill read "Arab Union Central Bank" in Arabic and English, and display value in both script styles (١٠ and 10).
- 20-dinar bill is turquoise in colour, featuring Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock compound on obverse and Yasser Arafat on reverse; there is a semi-reflective silver holographic strip of a repeating coat of arms pattern 5 cm in width, positioned 5 cm from the left of the obverse side; both sides of bill read "Arab Union Central Bank" in Arabic and English, and display value in both script styles (٢٠ and 20).
- Fifty-dinar bill is tangerine in colour, featuring Roman ruins of Petra on obverse and Bashar al-Assad on reverse; bills minted before 2014 featured Hafez al-Assad; there is a semi-reflective silver holographic strip of a repeating coat of arms pattern 5 cm in width, positioned 5 cm from the left of the obverse side; both sides of bill read "Arab Union Central Bank" in Arabic and English, and display value in both script styles (٥٠ and 50).
- Hundred-dinar bill is violet-grey in colour, featuring aerial view of Ka'aba encircled by pilgrims on obverse and Zaki al-Arsuzi on reverse; there is a semi-reflective silver holographic strip of a repeating coat of arms pattern 5 cm in width, positioned 5 cm from the left of the obverse side; both sides of bill read "Arab Union Central Bank" in Arabic and English, and display value in both script styles (١٠٠ and 100).
- Thousand-dinar bill is golden in colour, featuring coastal panorama of Casablanca on obverse and Gamal Abdel Nasser on reverse; there is a semi-reflective silver holographic strip of a repeating coat of arms pattern 5 cm in width, positioned 5 cm from the left of the obverse side; both sides of bill read "Arab Union Central Bank" in Arabic and English, and display value in both script styles (١٠٠٠ and 1000).