Pysa facts for kids
The Pysa was a special coin from Zanzibar, an island country. These coins were made in two different years: AH1299 (which was 1882 in our calendar) and AH1304 (which was 1887). On one side of these coins, you can see a picture of scales.
The name 'Pysa' comes from other old money names like 'Pice' and 'Paisa'. The Pysa coin from 1882 is quite common to find in old coin collections. However, the 1887 Pysa coin is very rare. The 1882 coin was made in Brussels, Belgium, at the Royal Belgian Mint. The 1887 coin was made in Birmingham, England, at Heaton's Mint.
Who Ordered the Pysa Coins?
The Pysa coins were ordered by Sultan Barghash bin Said. He was the ruler of Zanzibar at that time. The Sultan was not happy because his name was spelled incorrectly on the coins. It was written as "Sultan Said ibn Barghash ibn Sultan" instead of "Barghash bin Said ibn Sultan".
What Was Written on the Coins?
Along with the Sultan's name, the coins also had an Arabic phrase: "حفظه الله". This phrase means "may Allah save him". There was even a small mistake in the Arabic writing. The letter "fa" in "حفظه" was written with a dot below it. In standard Arabic, this dot should be above the letter.
See also
Images for kids
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One Zanzibar Pysa coin minted 1299 AH (1882 AD)
