Moroccan dirham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Moroccan dirham
ISO 4217 Code	MAD
User(s)	Morocco
Inflation	0.2%
Source	The World Factbook, 2019 est.
Pegged with	60% EUR and 40% USD
Subunit
1⁄20	rial (informal)
1⁄100	santim (official) franc (informal)
Symbol	DH
santim (official) franc (informal)	santimat
Coins	10, 20 santimat, ½, 1, 2, 5 & 10 dirhams
Rarely used	1 santim, 5 santimat
Banknotes	20, 50, 100, 200 dirhams

The Moroccan dirham (Arabic: درهم, romanized: dirham) is the official money used in Morocco. It is often shown with the sign DH. The Bank Al-Maghrib, which is Morocco's central bank, is in charge of making and issuing the dirham. One Moroccan dirham is divided into 100 smaller units called santimat.

History of the Moroccan Dirham

The word dirham comes from an old Greek coin called the drachma. In Morocco, a silver coin called the Idrissid dirham was made between the 8th and 10th centuries. This happened during the time of the Idrisid dynasty.

Before 1882, Morocco used different types of coins. They had copper coins called falus, silver coins called dirham, and gold coins called benduqi. In 1882, the dirham became part of a new money system. At that time, 10 dirhams were equal to 1 Moroccan rial.

In 1912, most of Morocco became a French protectorate. This meant France had control over the country. Morocco then started using the Moroccan franc as its money. The dirham was brought back on October 16, 1960. It became the main currency again. However, the franc was still used until 1974, with 1 dirham being worth 100 francs. In 1974, the santim replaced the franc as the smaller unit.

On November 24, 2023, the Bank Al-Maghrib showed off new banknotes and coins. This included a new 100 dirham banknote.

Moroccan Dirham Coins

In 1960, the first silver 1 dirham coins were made. Later, in 1965, nickel 1 dirham and silver 5 dirham coins were introduced. When the santim was brought in during 1974, new coins were made. These included 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 santimat, along with 1 and 5 dirham coins.

The 1 santim coins were made of aluminum. The 5 to 20 santimat coins were made of brass. The 50 santimat, 1 dirham, and 5 dirham coins were made of cupro-nickel. In 1980, new cupro-nickel 5 dirham coins were added. These changed to bi-metal coins in 1987. Bi-metal coins are made of two different metals joined together.

The 1 santim coin was only made until 1987. After that, new coin designs came out. A 1⁄2 dirham coin replaced the 50 santimat coin. It had the same size and materials. The new 5 dirham coin was bi-metallic. A 10 dirham bi-metallic coin was also introduced in 1995. Cupro-nickel 2 dirham coins were added in 2002.

In 2012, a brand new series of coins was released. The 5 and 10 dirham coins in this series have a special security feature. This feature changes its look when you tilt the coin. In 2023, another new series of coins was released for use in Morocco.

Moroccan Dirham Banknotes

An older 50 dirham banknote with Ksour buildings in the background.

The latest 2013 series of banknotes, showing Hassan Tower in Rabat.

The first banknotes that used the dirham name were actually older franc notes with new stamps on them. These were 50 dirhams (on 5,000 francs) and 100 dirhams (on 10,000 francs). In 1965, new banknotes for 5, 10, and 50 dirhams were printed.

100 dirham notes were introduced in 1970. Then, 200 dirham notes came out in 1991, and 20 dirham notes in 1996. The 5 dirham notes were replaced by coins in 1980. The 10 dirham notes were also replaced by coins in 1995.

In October 2009, the Bank Al-Maghrib printed four million special 50-dirham banknotes. This was to celebrate the bank's 50th birthday. This special note shows the pictures of Kings Mohammed VI, Hassan II, and Mohammed V. The back of the note features the Bank Al-Maghrib building in Rabat.

In December 2012, another special banknote was made. It was a 25-dirham note to celebrate 25 years of making banknotes at Dar As-Sikkah, Morocco's state printing works. This note was the first in the world to be printed on Durasafe. Durasafe is a special material made of paper, a polymer (plastic), and then more paper. This makes the note very strong and hard to copy.

On August 15, 2013, the Bank Al-Maghrib announced a new series of banknotes. These notes feature a picture of King Mohammed VI and the royal crown. Each note also shows a Moroccan door design. This design highlights Morocco's rich building history and shows how open the country is.

In 2019, the Bank Al-Maghrib released a 20-dirham banknote made from a polymer material. This was to celebrate King Mohammed VI being on the throne for 20 years. Polymer notes are more durable than paper ones.

Banknotes of the Moroccan dirham
1987 Series (Including 1991 Revision)
Value	Dimensions	Obverse	Reverse	Main Colour	Description			Date of
					Obverse	Reverse	Watermark	printing	issue
10 dirhams	143 × 70 mm			Yellow and pink (1987) violet (1991)	Hassan II	Moroccan lute, pillar	Hassan II	1987	1987/ca. 1991
50 dirhams	148 × 70 mm			Green	Hassan II	A fantasia scene	Hassan II	1987	1987/ca. 1991
100 dirhams	153 × 75 mm			Brown	Hassan II	The Green March into the Spanish Sahara (October, 1975), Desert rose	Hassan II	1987	1987/ca. 1991
200 dirhams	158 × 75 mm			Blue	Hassan II	Conch shell, a branch of coral, and a Dhow.	Hassan II	1987	ca. 1991
1996 Series
20 dirhams	130 × 68 mm			Brown-reddish	Hassan II, Great mosque of Casablanca	Wall fountain of the Hassan II Mosque	Hassan II	1996	1996
2002 Series
20 dirhams	140 × 70 mm			Violet	Mohammed VI, "Bab Challah" (Challah gate) in Rabat	A panoramical view of the Oudayas	Mohammed VI and "20"	2005	2005
50 dirhams	147 × 70 mm			Green	Mohammed VI	A clay-made building (Ksour)	Mohammed VI and "50"	2002	2002
100 dirhams	150 × 78 mm			Brown	Mohammed VI, Mohammed V and Hassan II	The Green March into the Spanish Sahara (October, 1975)	Mohammed VI and "100"	2002	2002
200 dirhams	158 × 78 mm			Blue	Mohammed VI and Hassan II, Grand mosque of Casablanca	A window of the Hassan II Mosque, Lighthouse of Casablanca (Pointe el-Hank)	Mohammed VI and "200"	2002	2002
2013 Series
20 dirhams	131 × 70 mm			Purple, orange and blue	Mohammed VI, coat of arms of Morocco	Train crossing Hassan II Bridge over the Bou Regreg river in Rabat; Hassan II Mosque and city buildings in Casablanca	Mohammed VI and electrotype 20	2012	2013
50 dirhams	138 × 70 mm			Green, yellow and blue	Mohammed VI, coat of arms of Morocco	Ouzoud Falls; argan tree, fruit, and bird	Mohammed VI and electrotype 50	2012	2013
100 dirhams	145 × 70 mm			Brown, yellow, violet and blue	Mohammed VI; coat of arms of Morocco	Mohammed VI and electrotype 100	2012	2012
200 dirhams	151 × 70 mm			Blue, green and violet	Mohammed VI; coat of arms of Morocco	Cargo ship, gantry cranes, and shipping containers in the port of Tangier; lighthouse and trees on Cape Spartel in Tangier	Mohammed VI and electrotype 200	2012	2012
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

How People Talk About Money in Morocco

In Morocco, people often use informal words to talk about money. These words are not official, but everyone understands them. For example, the rial is a common term. It is equal to 5 santimat. Another informal term is the franc, which is equal to 1 santim.

When people buy things that cost less than a dirham, they usually talk about the price in rial or santim. For very expensive items, like cars, people might even say the price in santimat. When speaking Arabic, people use rial. When speaking French, they use centime.

Older people who lived during the French colonial period might still use terms like 1,000, 2,000, or even 100,000 francs. These terms refer to 10, 20, and 1,000 dirhams today. The rial is also used for higher values, up to 5,000 dirhams (which is 100,000 rial). This way of speaking is common in Moroccan Arabic.

The Moroccan dirham is also accepted in markets in Ceuta. However, the euro is the official money there.

See also

• Economy of Morocco
• United Arab Emirates dirham