Iraq is ancient Mesopotamia sitting between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Like its neighbor, Iran, Iraq has a long and fabled history. Conquests and conquering are part of the history and fabric of the country. Iranian economy relies on oil exports. Its currency is the dinar. There are 1,000 fils to the dinar. It trades as IQD.
History
As early as the 4th century B.C., coinage from the Persian Empire, of which it was a part, was part of the country’s currency. Under the influence of Alexander the Great silver tetradrachmas made the rounds. There were also the Persian coins circulating at the same time. This two-coinage system continued into the Seluecid Empire.
Seleucus
I replaced the du-coin system with his own. His victory failed to
change the future influx of coins from the Romans or to influence the
Parthian rulers, his successors. Trajan coins made a large impact until
the Susanian Empire replaced the old coinage with those of Ardrashir in
220 to 230 A.D
Under the Islamic rule of the 7th century, Islamic
and Syrian-style coins began to appear. The Abbasid Caliphate took the
propensity towards more elaborate inscriptions to a higher plane. In
fact, al-Saffah set the standards for the inscriptional font for the
following 4 centuries. The basic inscription began in the center
obverse of the coin, continued into the coin’s center, then ran off and
round in the margin on the reverse.
Under the Turks, small symbols appeared, although the approach remained the same. The Abbasid approach returned until the arrival of the conquering Mongols. The Turks also implemented two specific frames and inscriptional figures for the Black Sheep and White Sheep coins.
The Ottoman Empire and the Hashemite Kingdom came and went, producing variations in the currency and its reliability. In the early 19th century, the Ottoman Empire included the tughra design or star motif in Baghdad. Under the British rule after the fall of the Ottomans in WWI, King Faisal (1923-1933), began to reintroduce coins with portraits. The Dinar replaced the Indian rupee of the British occupation left. The dinar or Iraqi pound was listed to be worth 1,000 fils.
After the military coup in 1958, a new issue of coins appeared. They featured the national emblem of an ear of wheat within a star. In 1967, the star was replaced by 3 date palms. Later developments flew from the Iran-Iraqi War (1980-1988), the attack on Kuwait (1990), the Gulf War (1991) and the United States of America’s invasion (March 2003). After 1990, coins ceased to exist in the country.
Today, among the many different coinages from the invading countries, the economic and political systems remain unstable. The current currency included coins after 2004 of the denominations 25 and 100 dinar. These are not popular forms of money. Banknotes are the preferred currency. They include 50, 250, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 dinar.
Obtaining Iraqi Dinars
If you must have an Iranian dinar go through the proper channels or talk to someone serving there. This country is out of bounds for even the most adventurous traveler.
Overview
The former Mesopotamia is a country now occupied by various foreign troups. In spite of various attempts to help reform the system of government and to balance out the country’s divergent religious, economic, political and social problems, no easy or early end is in sight.
Currency Summary
Current currency: dinar
1,000 fils equals 1 dinar
Coins: 25 and 100 dinar
Banknotes: 50, 250, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000