Exchange Currency
United Arab Emirates dirham
The dirham is the currency of the United Arab Emirates. The ISO 4217 code (currency abbreviation) for the United Arab Emirates dirham is AED. Unofficial abbreviations include DH or Dhs. The dirham is subdivided into 100 fils.
On January 28, 1978, the dirham was officially pegged to the IMF’s (International Monetary Fund) Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). In practice, it is pegged to the U.S. dollar for most of the time. Since November 1997, the dirham has been pegged to the 1 U.S. dollar = 3.6725 dirhams, which translates to approximately 1 dirham = 0.272294 dollar.
The name Dirham derives from the Greek word Drachmae, literally meaning „handful”, through Latin. Due to centuries of old trade and usage of the currency, dirham survived through the Ottoman regime.
The value and numbers on the coins are written in Eastern Arabic numerals and the text is in Arabic. The 1, 5 and 10 fils coins are rarely used in everyday life, so all amounts are rounded up or down to the nearest multiples of 25 fils. The 1 fils coin is a rarity and does not circulate significantly. In making change there is a risk of confusing the old 50 fils coin for the modern 1 dirham coin because the coins are almost the same size.
Since 1976 the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates has minted several commemorative coins celebrating different events and rulers of the United Arab Emirates. For details, see Commemorative coins of the United Arab Emirates dirham.
The obverse texts are written in Arabic with numbers in Eastern Arabic numerals; the reverse texts are in English with numbers in Arabic numerals. The 200 dirham denomination is scarce as it was only produced in 1989; any circulating today come from bank stocks. The 200 dirham denomination has since been reissued and is now in circulation since late May 2008 - it has been reissued in a different colour; Yellow/Brown to replace the older Green/Brown
Summary info
Summary information about United Arab Emirates dirham- ISO 4217 Code:
- AED
- Currency sign:
- د.إ
- Country:
- United Arab Emirates
- Subunit:
- Fils
- Coins:
- 1 fils, 5 fils, 10 fils, 25 fils, 50 fils, 1 dirham
- Banknotes:
- 5 dirhams, 10 dirhams, 20 dirhams, 50 dirhams, 100 dirhams, 200 dirhams, 500 dirhams, 1000 dirhams
- Central bank:
- Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates
History
The United Arab Emirates dirham was introduced December 1971. It replaced the Qatar and Dubai riyal at par. The Qatar and Dubai riyal had circulated since 1966 in all of the emirates except Abu Dhabi, where the dirham replaced the Bahraini dinar at 1 dirham = 0.1 dinar. Before 1966, all the emirates that were to form the United Arab Emirates used the Gulf rupee. As in Qatar, the emirates briefly adopted the Saudi riyal during the transition from the Gulf rupee to the Qatar and Dubai riyal.On January 28, 1978, the dirham was officially pegged to the IMF’s (International Monetary Fund) Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). In practice, it is pegged to the U.S. dollar for most of the time. Since November 1997, the dirham has been pegged to the 1 U.S. dollar = 3.6725 dirhams, which translates to approximately 1 dirham = 0.272294 dollar.
The name Dirham derives from the Greek word Drachmae, literally meaning „handful”, through Latin. Due to centuries of old trade and usage of the currency, dirham survived through the Ottoman regime.
Coins
In 1973, coins were introduced in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 fils, and 1 dirham. The 1, 5 and 10 fils are struck in bronze, with the higher denominations in cupro-nickel. The fils coins were same size and composition as the corresponding Qatar and Dubai dirham coins. In 1995, the 50 fils and 1 dirham coins were reduced in size, with the new 50 fils being curve-equilateral-heptagonal shaped.The value and numbers on the coins are written in Eastern Arabic numerals and the text is in Arabic. The 1, 5 and 10 fils coins are rarely used in everyday life, so all amounts are rounded up or down to the nearest multiples of 25 fils. The 1 fils coin is a rarity and does not circulate significantly. In making change there is a risk of confusing the old 50 fils coin for the modern 1 dirham coin because the coins are almost the same size.
Since 1976 the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates has minted several commemorative coins celebrating different events and rulers of the United Arab Emirates. For details, see Commemorative coins of the United Arab Emirates dirham.
Banknotes
In 1973, the United Arab Emirates Currency Board introduced notes in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 1000 dirham. A second series of note was introduced in 1982 which omitted the 1 and 1000 dirham notes. 500 dirham notes were introduced in 1983, followed by 200 dirham in 1989. 1000 dirham notes were reintroduced in 2000. Banknotes are currently available in denominations of 5 (brown), 10 (green), 20 (light blue), 50 (purple), 100 (pink), 200 (green/brown), 500 (navy blue) and 1000 (greenish blue) dirham.The obverse texts are written in Arabic with numbers in Eastern Arabic numerals; the reverse texts are in English with numbers in Arabic numerals. The 200 dirham denomination is scarce as it was only produced in 1989; any circulating today come from bank stocks. The 200 dirham denomination has since been reissued and is now in circulation since late May 2008 - it has been reissued in a different colour; Yellow/Brown to replace the older Green/Brown
AED banknotes pictures gallery
| 5 Dirham | |
|---|---|
| Banknote of 5 Dirham has dimensions 157x67 mm and main colors are peach-orange, almond, grullo and light gray. | |
 Obverse side of the 5 Dirham is showing Sharjah Central Souq also known as Islamic Souq, the Blue Souq or the central market |
 Reverse side of the 5 Dirham is showing a landscape in the Northern Emirates |
| 10 Dirham | |
|---|---|
| Banknote of 10 Dirham has dimensions 147x62 mm and main colors are olivine, magic mint, beige and platinum. | |
 Obverse side of the 10 Dirham is showing the khanjar the traditional dagger of Oman |
 Reverse side of the 10 Dirham is showing a pilot farm |
| 20 Dirham | |
|---|---|
| Banknote of 20 Dirham has dimensions 149x63 mm and main colors are powder blue, air force blue, shadow and pale aqua. | |
 Obverse side of the 20 Dirham is showing the front face of the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club |
 Reverse side of the 20 Dirham is showing traditional trading dhow (called sama’a) |
| 50 Dirham | |
|---|---|
| Banknote of 50 Dirham has dimensions 151x64 mm and main colors are pale chestnut, rose quartz, tea green and grullo. | |
 Obverse side of the 50 Dirham is showing an oryx (one of four large antelope species of the genus Oryx) |
 Reverse side of the 50 Dirham is showing pre-Islamic fort in Al Ain |
| 100 Dirham | |
|---|---|
| Banknote of 100 Dirham has dimensions 155x66 mm and main colors are light coral, languid lavender, pale silver and pastel gray. | |
 Obverse side of the 100 Dirham is showing the Fahidi Fort (oldest architectural masterpiece in Dubai) |
 Reverse side of the 100 Dirham is showing the Dubai World Trade Centre building |
| 200 Dirham | |
|---|---|
| Banknote of 200 Dirham has dimensions 157x67 mm and main colors are dark gray, light goldenrod yellow, khaki and ash grey. | |
 Obverse side of the 200 Dirham is showing the Zayed Sports City |
 Reverse side of the 200 Dirham is showing the Central Bank of the UAE Building |
| 500 Dirham | |
|---|---|
| Banknote of 500 Dirham has dimensions 159x68 mm and main colors are pastel blue, cotton candy, rosy brown and platinum. | |
 Obverse side of the 500 Dirham is showing a falcon’s head |
 Reverse side of the 500 Dirham is showing the Jumeirah Mosque (one of the best known mosques in the UAE) |
| 1000 Dirham | |
|---|---|
| Banknote of 1000 Dirham has dimensions 163x70 mm and main colors are lavender mist, rose quartz, light mauve and alice blue. | |
 Obverse side of the 1000 Dirham is showing the Alhosn Palace (a prominent historical feature in Abu Dhabi) |
 Reverse side of the 1000 Dirham is showing the Abu Dhabi Corniche |
Useful links
- About Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates:
- Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates
- List of currencies:
- Currencies
- Currency Gallery (large images):
- Curreny Gallery
- AED currency on Wikipedia:
- United Arab Emirates dirham
- Official Website of Central Bank of the UAE:
- www.centralbank.ae
- Commemorative coins:
- Central Bank of the UAE-Commemorative Coins