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{{Short description|Unit of currency in several Asian and African states}}
'''Dirham''' or '''dirhem''' (درهم) is a unit of currency in several Arabic-speaking nations, and formerly the related unit of mass (the Ottoman ]) in the ].
]
] 718–719 CE]]
] minted in 721–722 CE]]
] ibn Muhammad 749–745 CE]]
] 754–758 CE]]
] minted in 786–787 CE in al-Haruniya]]
], minted at ] in 836–837 CE]]
] motifs, struck in the name of ]]]
], minted at ] in 729–730 CE (]) 111)]]
]]]
]]]


The '''dirham''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ɜːr|h|æ|m}} {{respell|DUR-ham}}; {{langx|ar|درهم}}}} '''dirhem'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ɜːr|h|ɛ|m}} {{respell|DUR-hem}}}} or '''drahm'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|r|ɑː|m}}}} is a unit of currency and of mass. It is the name of the currencies of ], the ] and ], and is the name of a currency subdivision in ], ], ] and ]. It was historically a silver coin.
==Currency units==

The currency units include:

* The ]
* The ]
* 1/1000 of the ]
* 1/100 of the ]
* 1/10 of the ]
* The dirham, spelt 'diram,' is 1/100 of the ].


==Unit of mass== ==Unit of mass==
The dirham was a unit of mass used across North Africa, the Middle East, Persia and ]; later known as ], with varying values.


The value of Islamic dirham was 14 qirat. 10 dirham equals 7 ] (2.975 gm of silver).
The dirhem was a unit of weight used across North Africa, the Middle East, and Persia, with varying values. It was based on the Greek ].


In the late Ottoman Empire (] درهم), the standard dirhem was 3.207 ]<ref>based on an oka of 1.2828 ]; Diran Kélékian gives 3.21 g (''Dictionnaire Turc-Français'', Constantinople: Imprimerie Mihran, 1911) ; Γ. Μπαμπινιώτης gives 3.203 g (''Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας'', Athens, 1998)</ref>; 400 dirhem equal one ]. The unit was also used in the former Ottoman countries: ] δράμι (Greece); δραχμή (Cyprus). In the late Ottoman Empire ({{langx|ota|درهم}}), the standard dirham was 3.207 ];<ref>based on an oka of 1.2828 ]; Diran Kélékian gives 3.21 g (''Dictionnaire Turc-Français'', Constantinople: Imprimerie Mihran, 1911); Γ. Μπαμπινιώτης gives 3.203 g (''Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας'', Athens, 1998)</ref> 400 dirhem equal one ]. The Ottoman dirham was based on the ] drachm (in ]: 𐭦𐭥𐭦𐭭 ''drahm''), which was itself based on the Greek dram/drachma.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DIRHAM - Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/dirham}}</ref>


In ] in 1895, it was equivalent to 47.661 troy grains (3.088 ]).<ref>]</ref> In ] in 1895, it was equivalent to 47.661 ]s (3.088 ]).<ref>]</ref>

There is currently a movement within the Islamic world to revive the dirham as a unit of mass for measuring silver, although the exact value is disputed (either 3 or 2.975 grams).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ashtor|first=E.|date=October 1982|title=Levantine weights and standard parcels: a contribution to the metrology of the later Middle Ages|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0041977X00041525/type/journal_article|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies|volume=45|issue=3|pages=471–488|doi=10.1017/S0041977X00041525|s2cid=140561646|issn=0041-977X|access-date=2019-11-20|archive-date=2024-01-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240102084427/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bulletin-of-the-school-of-oriental-and-african-studies/article/abs/levantine-weights-and-standard-parcels-a-contribution-to-the-metrology-of-the-later-middle-ages/A083FE1D62824E92B13D5A0D61336490|url-status=live}}</ref>


==History== ==History==
]-Czechów, comprising 214 silver dirhams issued between 711–712 and 882–883 CE, ].]]
The word "dirham" ultimately comes from '']'' (δραχμή), the Greek coin.<ref name="oeddirhem">'']'', 1st edition, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200209223219/https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/53338 |date=2020-02-09 }}</ref> The Greek-speaking ] lay partially in the ] and traded with ], circulating the coin there in pre-Islamic times and afterward. It was this currency which was initially adopted as a Persian word (] ''drahm'' or ''dram''); then near the end of the 7th century the coin became an Islamic currency bearing the name of the sovereign and a religious verse. The Arabs introduced their own coins.
The Islamic dirham was 8 ].<ref>BBC Art of Persia</ref> The dirham was struck in many ], including ] (] ]) and the ] ('']''), and could be used as currency in ] between the 10th and 12th centuries, notably in areas with ] connections, such as ]<ref>In addition to Islamic ''dirhams'' in ninth and tenth century English hoards, a counterfeit ''dirham'' was found at ], in ], struck as if for ] (ruling at Samarkand, 903-07/8), of ] (illustrated in Richard Hall, ''Viking Age Archaeology'', 2010:17, fig. 7).</ref> and Dublin.


===Dirham in Jewish orthodox law===
Historically, the word "dirham" is derived from 'dirhem', itself coming from the name of a Greek coin, the ]; the ] controlled the ] and traded with ], circulating the coin there in pre-Islamic times and afterward. It was this currency which was initially adopted as an Arab word; then near the end of the ] the coin became an Islamic currency bearing the name of the sovereign and a religious verse. The dirham was struck in many Mediterranean countries, including Spain, and could be used as currency in Europe between the ] and ].
The ''dirham'' is frequently mentioned in ] ] as a unit of weight used to measure various requirements in religious functions, such as the weight in silver specie pledged in Marriage Contracts ('']''), the quantity of flour requiring the separation of the ], etc. Jewish physician and philosopher, ], uses the Egyptian ''dirham'' to approximate the quantity of flour for ], writing in ] '']'' 1:2: "And I found the rate of the dough-portion in that measurement to be approximately five-hundred and twenty ''dirhams'' of wheat flour, while all these dirhams are the Egyptian ." This view is repeated by ]'s '']'' (''Hil. Hallah'', ] § 324:3) in the name of the ]. In Maimonides' commentary of the Mishnah (''Eduyot'' 1:2, note 18), Rabbi ] explains that the weight of each Egyptian ''dirham'' was approximately 3.333 grams,<ref>''Mishnah – with a Commentary of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon'', ed. Yosef Qafih, vol. 2 – ''Seder Neziqim'', pub. ]: Jerusalem 1965, p. 189 (Hebrew title: '''משנה עם פירוש הרמב"ם''')</ref> or what was the equivalent to 16 ]-grains<ref>''Mishnah – with a Commentary of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon'' (ed. ]), vol. 3, ]: Jerusalem 1967, s.v. Introduction to Tractate ''Menahoth'', p. 68 (note 35) (Hebrew)</ref> which, when taken together, the minimum weight of flour requiring the separation of the dough-portion comes to approx. 1 kilo and 733 grams. Rabbi ], in his ''Sefer Halikhot ʿOlam'' (vol. 1, pp.&nbsp;288–291),<ref>Ovadiah Yosef, ''Sefer Halikhot ʿOlam'', vol. 1, Jerusalem 2002 (Hebrew title: '''ספר הליכות עולם''')</ref> makes use of a different standard for the Egyptian ''dirham'', saying that it weighed approx. 3.0 grams, meaning the minimum requirement for separating the ]'s portion is 1 kilo and 560 grams. Others (e.g. Rabbi ]) say the Egyptian ''dirham'' weighed approx. 3.205 grams,<ref>Ovadiah Yosef, ''Sefer Halikhot ʿOlam'', vol. 1, Jerusalem 2002, p. 288, sec. 11; Abraham Chaim Naeh, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424085842/http://www.hebrewbooks.org/37746 |date=2017-04-24 }}, Jerusalem 1943, p. 4 (Hebrew)</ref> which total weight for the requirement of separating the dough-portion comes to 1 kilo and 666 grams. Rabbi Shelomo Qorah (Chief Rabbi of ]) wrote that the traditional weight used in ] for each ''dirham'' weighed 3.20 grams for a total of 31.5 ''dirhams'' given as the redemption of one's firstborn son ('']''), or 3.36 grams for the 30 ''dirhams'' required by the ] (''Yoreh De'ah'' 305:1),<ref>Shelomo Qorah, ''ʿArikhat Shūlḥan - Yilqūṭ Ḥayyīm'', vol. 13 (Principles of Instruction and Tradition), Benei Barak 2012, p. 206 (Hebrew title: '''עריכת שולחן - ילקוט חיים''') {{OCLC|762505465}}</ref> and which in relation to the separation of the dough-portion made for a total weight of 1 kilo and 770.72 grams.


The word ''drachmon'' ({{Langx|he|דרכמון}}), used in some translations of Maimonides' commentary of the ], has in all places the same connotation as ''dirham''.<ref>''Mishnah – with a Commentary of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon'', ed. Yosef Qafih, vol. 3 – ''Seder Kodashim'', pub. ]: Jerusalem 1967, s.v. Introduction to Tractate ''Menahoth'', p. 68 (note 35) (Hebrew title: '''משנה עם פירוש הרמב"ם''')</ref>
Compare the ] for a currency whose name bears a similar origin. Also compare ] for another currency circulated in the Muslim world but originating with the Romans.

== Modern-day currency ==
Currently the valid national currencies with the name ''dirham'' are:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Countries
! Currency
! ] code
|-
| {{flag|Morocco}}
| ]
| MAD
|-
| {{flag|United Arab Emirates }}
| ]
| AED
|-
| {{flag|Armenia}}
| ]
| AMD
|}

Modern currencies with the subdivision ''dirham'' or ''diram'' are:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Countries
! Currency
! ] code
!Subdivision
|-
| {{flag|Libya}}
| ]
| LYD
|Dirham
|-
| {{flag|Qatar}}
| ]
| QAR
|Dirham
|-
| {{flag|Jordan}}
| ]
| JOD
|Dirham
|-
| {{flag|Tajikistan}}
| ]
|TJS
|Diram
|}

The unofficial ], issued and/or proposed by several states and ], is also divided into dirhams.

==See also==
{{Portal|Money|Numismatics}}
*]
*]
*]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}}
<references/>


{{Islamic banking and finance}}
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{{Authority control}}
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Latest revision as of 18:14, 29 December 2024

Unit of currency in several Asian and African states
Nations in red currently use the dirham. Nations in green use a currency with a subdivision named dirham.
Silver dirham of Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz 718–719 CE
Silver dirham of Yazid II minted in 721–722 CE
Silver dirham of Marwan II ibn Muhammad 749–745 CE
Silver dirham of As-Saffah 754–758 CE
Silver dirham of Al-Hadi minted in 786–787 CE in al-Haruniya
Silver dirham of Al-Mu'tasim, minted at al-Muhammadiya in 836–837 CE
One of the first silver coins of the Umayyad Caliphate, still following Sassanid motifs, struck in the name of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf
Later silver dirham of the Umayyad Caliphate, minted at Balkh in 729–730 CE (AH) 111)
Silver dirham of Alhakén II, Caliph of Córdoba
Silver dirham issued in 1002 by Hisham II, Caliph of Córdoba

The dirham, dirhem or drahm is a unit of currency and of mass. It is the name of the currencies of Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Armenia, and is the name of a currency subdivision in Jordan, Libya, Qatar and Tajikistan. It was historically a silver coin.

Unit of mass

The dirham was a unit of mass used across North Africa, the Middle East, Persia and Ifat; later known as Adal, with varying values.

The value of Islamic dirham was 14 qirat. 10 dirham equals 7 mithqal (2.975 gm of silver).

In the late Ottoman Empire (Ottoman Turkish: درهم), the standard dirham was 3.207 g; 400 dirhem equal one oka. The Ottoman dirham was based on the Sasanian drachm (in Middle Persian: 𐭦𐭥𐭦𐭭 drahm), which was itself based on the Greek dram/drachma.

In Egypt in 1895, it was equivalent to 47.661 troy grains (3.088 g).

There is currently a movement within the Islamic world to revive the dirham as a unit of mass for measuring silver, although the exact value is disputed (either 3 or 2.975 grams).

History

Silver hoard from Lublin-Czechów, comprising 214 silver dirhams issued between 711–712 and 882–883 CE, Lublin Museum.

The word "dirham" ultimately comes from drachma (δραχμή), the Greek coin. The Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire lay partially in the Levant and traded with Arabia, circulating the coin there in pre-Islamic times and afterward. It was this currency which was initially adopted as a Persian word (Middle Persian drahm or dram); then near the end of the 7th century the coin became an Islamic currency bearing the name of the sovereign and a religious verse. The Arabs introduced their own coins. The Islamic dirham was 8 daniq. The dirham was struck in many Mediterranean countries, including Al-Andalus (Moorish Spain) and the Byzantine Empire (miliaresion), and could be used as currency in Europe between the 10th and 12th centuries, notably in areas with Viking connections, such as Viking York and Dublin.

Dirham in Jewish orthodox law

The dirham is frequently mentioned in Jewish orthodox law as a unit of weight used to measure various requirements in religious functions, such as the weight in silver specie pledged in Marriage Contracts (Ketubbah), the quantity of flour requiring the separation of the dough-portion, etc. Jewish physician and philosopher, Maimonides, uses the Egyptian dirham to approximate the quantity of flour for dough-portion, writing in Mishnah Eduyot 1:2: "And I found the rate of the dough-portion in that measurement to be approximately five-hundred and twenty dirhams of wheat flour, while all these dirhams are the Egyptian ." This view is repeated by Maran's Shulhan Arukh (Hil. Hallah, Yoreh Deah § 324:3) in the name of the Tur. In Maimonides' commentary of the Mishnah (Eduyot 1:2, note 18), Rabbi Yosef Qafih explains that the weight of each Egyptian dirham was approximately 3.333 grams, or what was the equivalent to 16 carob-grains which, when taken together, the minimum weight of flour requiring the separation of the dough-portion comes to approx. 1 kilo and 733 grams. Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, in his Sefer Halikhot ʿOlam (vol. 1, pp. 288–291), makes use of a different standard for the Egyptian dirham, saying that it weighed approx. 3.0 grams, meaning the minimum requirement for separating the priest's portion is 1 kilo and 560 grams. Others (e.g. Rabbi Avraham Chaim Naeh) say the Egyptian dirham weighed approx. 3.205 grams, which total weight for the requirement of separating the dough-portion comes to 1 kilo and 666 grams. Rabbi Shelomo Qorah (Chief Rabbi of Bnei Barak) wrote that the traditional weight used in Yemen for each dirham weighed 3.20 grams for a total of 31.5 dirhams given as the redemption of one's firstborn son (pidyon haben), or 3.36 grams for the 30 dirhams required by the Shulhan Arukh (Yoreh De'ah 305:1), and which in relation to the separation of the dough-portion made for a total weight of 1 kilo and 770.72 grams.

The word drachmon (Hebrew: דרכמון), used in some translations of Maimonides' commentary of the Mishnah, has in all places the same connotation as dirham.

Modern-day currency

Currently the valid national currencies with the name dirham are:

Countries Currency ISO 4217 code
 Morocco Moroccan dirham MAD
 United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates dirham AED
 Armenia Armenian dram AMD

Modern currencies with the subdivision dirham or diram are:

Countries Currency ISO 4217 code Subdivision
 Libya Libyan dinar LYD Dirham
 Qatar Qatari riyal QAR Dirham
 Jordan Jordanian dinar JOD Dirham
 Tajikistan Tajikistani somoni TJS Diram

The unofficial modern gold dinar, issued and/or proposed by several states and proto-states, is also divided into dirhams.

See also

Notes

  1. /ˈdɜːrhæm/ DUR-ham; Arabic: درهم
  2. /ˈdɜːrhɛm/ DUR-hem
  3. /ˈdrɑːm/

References

  1. based on an oka of 1.2828 kg; Diran Kélékian gives 3.21 g (Dictionnaire Turc-Français, Constantinople: Imprimerie Mihran, 1911); Γ. Μπαμπινιώτης gives 3.203 g (Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens, 1998)
  2. "DIRHAM - Encyclopaedia Iranica".
  3. OED
  4. Ashtor, E. (October 1982). "Levantine weights and standard parcels: a contribution to the metrology of the later Middle Ages". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 45 (3): 471–488. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00041525. ISSN 0041-977X. S2CID 140561646. Archived from the original on 2024-01-02. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  5. Oxford English Dictionary, 1st edition, s.v. 'dirhem' Archived 2020-02-09 at the Wayback Machine
  6. BBC Art of Persia
  7. In addition to Islamic dirhams in ninth and tenth century English hoards, a counterfeit dirham was found at Coppergate, in York, struck as if for Isma'il ibn Achmad (ruling at Samarkand, 903-07/8), of copper covered by a once-silvery wash of tin (illustrated in Richard Hall, Viking Age Archaeology, 2010:17, fig. 7).
  8. Mishnah – with a Commentary of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, ed. Yosef Qafih, vol. 2 – Seder Neziqim, pub. Mossad Harav Kook: Jerusalem 1965, p. 189 (Hebrew title: משנה עם פירוש הרמב"ם)
  9. Mishnah – with a Commentary of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (ed. Yosef Qafih), vol. 3, Mossad Harav Kook: Jerusalem 1967, s.v. Introduction to Tractate Menahoth, p. 68 (note 35) (Hebrew)
  10. Ovadiah Yosef, Sefer Halikhot ʿOlam, vol. 1, Jerusalem 2002 (Hebrew title: ספר הליכות עולם)
  11. Ovadiah Yosef, Sefer Halikhot ʿOlam, vol. 1, Jerusalem 2002, p. 288, sec. 11; Abraham Chaim Naeh, Sefer Kuntres ha-Shi'urim Archived 2017-04-24 at the Wayback Machine, Jerusalem 1943, p. 4 (Hebrew)
  12. Shelomo Qorah, ʿArikhat Shūlḥan - Yilqūṭ Ḥayyīm, vol. 13 (Principles of Instruction and Tradition), Benei Barak 2012, p. 206 (Hebrew title: עריכת שולחן - ילקוט חיים) OCLC 762505465
  13. Mishnah – with a Commentary of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, ed. Yosef Qafih, vol. 3 – Seder Kodashim, pub. Mossad Harav Kook: Jerusalem 1967, s.v. Introduction to Tractate Menahoth, p. 68 (note 35) (Hebrew title: משנה עם פירוש הרמב"ם)
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