Libya Dinar Banknote History

Libya is a North African country that is located in an important point due to its proximity to its proximity to Europe and Asia. Many people know the country because of its ongoing civil war after the removal of former leader Muammar Gaddafi from power. In the public eye he was known as a strange figure while others say he was beloved by his people. While the country was under Ottoman rule in the 1800’s its currency was the Qirsh. Then in the early 1900’s it fell under rule of Italy. It switched over to the Italian Lira as well. After Italy lost control of the territory it fell under control of the French and British.

Introduction of the Pound to Libya

In 1951 the Libyan Pound was introduced to replace the previous Italian Lira. They followed the classic design of many Arabic banknotes from the era. They are printed in Arabic on the front and English on the reverse. The 1 Pound 1952 is colored in blue and white and features King Idris on the front. The Libyan Pound continued to circulate until 1971 when the new Dinar was introduced. They ranged in denominations from 1/4, 1/2, 1, 5 and 10 Dinar.

A few years into the release of the new banknotes, new designs featuring Muammar Gaddafi began to circulate. The banknotes featured images of the leader as well as images of national buildings, monuments, industrial sites and mosques. The banknotes were very colorful and another person features on the banknotes is Omar El Mukhtar who is highly regarded in Libyan history for his resistance against Italian colonization. For example, you can find his image on the 10 Dinars, 2004. Gaddafi was removed from power in 2011 and his image was removed from the currency. The 1 Dinar, 2013 features images symbolizing freedom and liberation. It has protestors with the Libyan flag on the front and on the reverse is an image of the Libyan flag as well as white doves.