Afghan is a poor country in South East Asia. It sits amidst
mountains, landlocked, an Islamic State. Its neighbors include Iran,
Pakistan, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. With a
fluctuating population of around 25.59 million, it boasts a proud past.
The official currency of the country is the afghani. Its ISO code is
AFA. The afghani breaks down into puls. An afghani is equal to 100
puls. There are afghani banknotes and coins. Afghani banknotes number
10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000. The pul coins are 1, 2, 5, 25 and 50.
History
Afghanistan is a country known intimately by the Greeks, the Persians and the Macedonians. It holds a special place in the evolution of currency in Asia. As conquerors came and went, the rulers created their own currency. Since the 5th century B.C., Afghanistan has had a form of coin currency. Greek and silver coins made the rounds. Until the arrival of Alexander the Great, the Afghan people were minting imitation Greek coins. They mimicked the original, but featured traditional geometric designs and highly stylized animals.
The Kingdoms of Bactria (Northeast Afghanistan) and Kabul (Eastern Afghanistan) also made their own coinage. In Bactria, Daodotos, Governor of Seleucid, declared himself ruler of an independent kingdom. His coins, in gold, silver and copper, featured portraits of him on one side. On the reverse, he placed Greek deities including Zeus.
The Samanids issued an unusual coin during their rein. Along with Abbasid-style coinage, the Samanids produced large, silver coins over 2-times bigger than the average coin of the period. These new coins also outweighed their counterpart by 5-times.
The Turks, including the famous Tamburlane (Timur), the Mongols and various Nomadic groups minted coins over the following years. After declaring independence in 1745, Afghanistan had several mints in the country and local coinage. Yet, it was not until 1925 that the country introduced the decimal system base with the afghani, effectively if slowly replacing the rupee and the amani.
Between 1929 and 1933, the country had both milled coins and decimal coins. Under Muhammad ZakhirShah, the coinage became decimal with a standard coinage appearing after the country became the Republic of Afghanistan in 1972. The afghani and pul began to comprise the currency after this date. The eagle became the reverse symbol on most coins of this period with the national arms on the reverse side.
Afghanistan became a
Democratic Republic in 1972 and an Islamic State in 1994. Invasions by
Russia (1979) and the United States (2001) took place, also affecting
the coinage in appearance and value. In 2002, new afghani notes
replaced the old ones. Banknotes in 2002 included 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50,
100, 200, 500 and 1000 afghani. In 2005, the lower denominations of 1,
2 and 5 banknotes vanished, replaced by coins.
Obtaining the Coinage
Currently,
the best way to obtain coinage from this country is through an
international money market. The present state of the country is not
conducive to travel. It is a country at war. If you do have business
there, you are more likely to be dealing with Americans, Canadians or
British personnel. In that case, American dollars are more likely to be
apt than afghanis.
Overview
Afghanistan
is a country with an intriguing past and a questionable future. It is
not a tourist zone. While there are businesses operating within the
country, Afghanistan is not a place where it is, “Business as
usual.” If you must go, take all physical precautions.
For factual information and data, see www.worldatlas.com. For travel information, look in www.lonelyplanet.com.
Coinage Summary
Current currency: Afghani
100 puls equal 1 afghani.
Coins: 1, 2, 5, 25 and 50 puls
Banknotes: 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 afghani