Museum of Islamic Art Hosts Exhibition on History of Money in Egypt

The Museum of Islamic Art in Old Cairo is currently hosting an exhibition showcasing Egypt’s extensive history with money.

The ‘Journey of Money in Egypt through the Ages’ exhibit invites visitors to explore a long journey of 2500 years, starting from when the first coin was minted during the Achaemenid era between 550 BC and 330 BC and through to the drachmas and stats issues by the Ptolemies. The exhibition also displays the gold dinars and copper money of the Byzantines and Romans as well as the silver dirhams used by the Sassanids, before moving onto the currency used by Arabs. The exhibition closes with the modern era, which highlights the succession and circulation of money in Egypt.

The exhibition, a collaborative project between the Museum of Islamic Art, the Cairo Mint Treasury and the Center for Calligraphy Studies at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, includes both newly minted clone coins and photographic panels of Egypt’s most important collections of currencies. Egyptian coins are considered a pictorial record of the development of Egyptian calligraphy and writing through the ages. The journey and skill of the Egyptian calligrapher and artist can be traced back through the face of the country’s coins.

The exhibition will run at the Museum of Islamic Art until October 3rd.