Which monuments are Egyptians most proud of? Which characters and places do they identify with the most? As in all countries, a good way to discover this is by looking at the monuments on Egyptian banknotes: each of them shows the image of one or several of them, which represents a selection full of meaning. And as you will notice below, the same pattern is repeated: next to an important Islamic monument, another that refers to Ancient Egypt, in a sort of twinning between two of the great civilizations that have forged their identity.
Piastres and Egyptian pounds, banknote by banknote
In Egypt, the fractions of its currency (Egyptian pound) are piastres. And the larger fractions of this currency are in circulation through banknotes, unlike other countries, which usually use metal coins for cents, centavos, and similar.
These banknotes of such small value are the most numerous in circulation, and perhaps for this reason they show some of the country’s most symbolic monuments. On the 25 piastres (0.25£) note is the Sayeda Aisha Mosque in Cairo, while the 50 piastres (0.50£) note shows one of the most prestigious mosques in the entire Arab world: the Al-Azhar, also in Cairo, one of the most symbolic of the city’s Fatimid period, so prolific and productive, although many of these buildings have been modified later.
For 1£, the chosen one is the mosque-mausoleum of Sultan Qaitbay (Cairo), considered one of the masterpieces of Mamluk art, and also the Abu Simbel monument, erected during the time of Pharaoh Ramses II and one of the most visited in the country, in the south, next to Lake Nasser.
For 5£, the Ibn Tulun Mosque has been chosen, considered the oldest surviving mosque in Cairo (9th century) with a characteristic helical minaret, while the reverse shows the natural element that has structured (and still structures) the entire country, the Nile. But for this, a relief of the god Hapi is represented, related to the floods of said river.
On the 10£ banknote, a reference to modern Egypt: the Al-Fattah Al-Aleem Mosque, from the new administrative city of Cairo. For the 20£, the Alabaster Mosque, perhaps the most visited by tourists. And on the other side, in the background, the Great Pyramid of Giza can be seen, another of the country’s must-see monuments.
On the 50£ banknote, another elegant mosque from the Mamluk era: that of Abu Hurayba, in Cairo. And paired with it, the Temple of Edfu, one of the largest and best preserved in the country, erected in the Ptolemaic and Roman era of Egypt.
On the 100£, the Hassan II Mosque-Madrasa, which stands out for its 14th-century architecture but also for being in a privileged location, in Rumayla Square, visible from the Citadel of Saladin.
And closing the series, with the 200£ banknote, we find the Qani-Bay Mosque or Al-Rammah, from the 16th century, notable for having one of the most elegant domes, with refined reliefs covering its exterior. On the reverse, however, is the famous statue of the Seated Scribe, which can be visited in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (not to be confused with another of similar name and antiquity, in the Louvre), which shows the extraordinary mastery of Ancient Egypt 4,500 years ago, as it dates back to the 4th Dynasty.
In short: these banknotes are an unbeatable selection of monuments and works of art that make Egyptians proud and that you will surely have the opportunity to see in person during your trip.
