KHOUMS: COIN OF MAURITANIA
1 khoums (1/5 ouguiya), 1973: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Date on coin: AH 1393 (AH: Latin "Anno Hegirae" — "the year of the Hijra"; Islamic calendar) = 1973 (Gregorian calendar).
BANQUE CENTRALE DE MAURITANIE: Central Bank of Mauritania.
Seal of Mauritania: red, green, and gold elements — the green crescent and star symbolizes Islam (major religion), the gold palm and millet represents geographical location and agriculture as the basis of the economy (sands of the Sahara desert), and the red represents the bloodshed of the people that fought for independence.
1/5: the presented coin in 1 khoums is equal to one-fifth of the main currency of Mauritania — the ouguiya (the Mauritanian khoums and the Malagasy iraimbilanja can be considered the only small coins in the world today that make up 1/5 of the local currency — not 1/100).
The obverse legend of the coin is in French, while the reverse is in Arabic (the two official languages of Mauritania).
البنك المركزي الموريتاني: Central Bank of Mauritania.
خمس: five or fifth part (literally — khoums).
١٣٩٣: 1393 (1973 according to the Gregorian calendar).
Crescent and star as Muslim symbols in a wreath.
Kremnica Mint (Slovakia).
Mintage: 1.000.000.
- Aluminium: 21 mm - 1.4 g
- Reference price: 2.2$
COIN KHOUMS — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
- ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF MAURITANIA (1973-...): khoums = 1/5 ouguiya
About the name of the coin khoums: the name of the coin khoums (Arabic "خمس") literally means "fifth part" in Arabic. We are talking about the equality of five khoums to one ouguiya (Mauritanian main currency).
There are two separate coins: the Moorish khoums and the Yemeni khumsi (which has not been issued for a long time).
