Kuruş
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Kuruş(/kəˈruːʃ/kə-ROOSH;[1]Turkish pronunciation:[kuˈɾuʃ]), alsogurush,ersh,gersh,grush,grosha,andgrosi,[2]are all names for currency denominations in and around the territories formerly part of theOttoman Empire.The variation in the name stems from the different languages it is used in (Arabic,Amharic,TurkishandGreek) and the different transcriptions into theLatin alphabet.In European languages, the kuruş was known as thepiastre.[2]
Today the kuruş (pl.kuruşlar) is a Turkish currency subunit, with oneTurkish liraequal to 100 kuruş as of the2005 revaluation of the lira.Until the 1844 subdivision of the formerOttoman gold lira,the kuruş was the standard unit of currency within theOttoman Empire,and was subdivided into 40paraor 120akçe.
Name[edit]
The use of the nameKuruşas a currency denomination for coinage goes back to the 6th century BC, dating to the time of theCroeseid,the world's first gold coin, originally minted by KingCroesusofLydia.The Croeseid was latercontinued to be mintedand spread in a wide geographical area byCyrus the Great(Old Persian:𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁Kūruš), the founder of theAchaemenid Empire,who defeated King Croesus and conquered Lydia with theBattle of Thymbrain 547 BC. Cyrus (Kūruš) made the Croeseid the standard gold coin of his vast empire, using the samelion and bulldesign, but with a reduced weight (8.06 grams, instead of the standard 10.7 grams of the original version issued by King Croesus) due to the need for larger amounts of these coins, for a much larger population.
The modernTurkishusage of the wordkuruş(Ottoman Turkish:قروش,kurûş);Greek:γρόσι,grosi;pluralγρόσια,grosia) for coinage is possibly derived from theFrenchgros( "heavy" ), which itself is derived from theLatingrossus( "thick" ).[citation needed]It is cognate with theGermanGroschenandHungariangaras.
History[edit]
The Ottomankuruşwas introduced in 1688. It was initially a largesilverpiece (similar to the Europeanthalersissued by the Ottomans), approximately equal to theFrench écu,or, from other sources, to theSpanish dollar.It was worth 40para.In 1844, following sustaineddebasement,thegoldlirawas introduced, worth 100 kuruş. During the late 18th to early 19th centuries it was further reduced to abilloncoin weighing less than 3 grams.
As the Ottoman Empire broke up, several successor states retained the kuruş as a denomination. These includedEgypt,Saudi Arabia,Syria,LebanonandTurkeyitself. Others, includingJordanandSudan,adopted the kuruş as a denomination when they established their own currencies.
At the beginning of the 19th century, silver coins were in circulation for 1 akçe, 1, 5, 10 and 20 para, 1, 2 and2+1⁄2kuruş, together with gold coins denominated inzeri mahbubandaltin.As the silver coins were debased, other denominations appeared: 30 para,1+1⁄2,3, 5 and 6 kuruş. The final coinage issued before the currency reform consisted of billon 1, 10 and 20 para, and silver1+1⁄2,3 and 6 kuruş.
In 1844, the Turkish gold lira was introduced as the new standard denomination. It was divided into 100 silver kuruş and the kuruş continued to circulate until the 1970s.
Kuruş eventually became obsolete due to thechronic inflationin Turkey in the late 1970s. A currency reform on 1 January 2005 provided its return as1⁄100of the new lira.
See also[edit]
- Groschen
- Gros (coinage)
- Groat (coin)
- Venetian grosso
- Ottoman lira
- Turkish lira
- Egyptian pound
- Jordanian dinar
- Palestine pound
- Saudi riyal
- Sudanese pound
References[edit]
- ^"kurus".The Chambers Dictionary(9th ed.). Chambers. 2003.ISBN0-550-10105-5.
- ^abA Handbook of Cyprus,p. 111
- ^Classical Numismatic Group
Bibliography[edit]
- Krause, Chester L.; Clifford Mishler (1991).Standard Catalog of World Coins:1801–1991(18th ed.). Krause Publications.ISBN0873411501.
External links[edit]
- http://www.osmanliparalari.comEverything about Ottoman coins(in Turkish)
- 50 Kuruş Banknote
- Ottoman Empire coins