Zanzibari ryal facts for kids
The ryal (Arabic: ريال) was a special type of money used in Zanzibar from 1882 to 1908. Zanzibar is an island country off the coast of East Africa. The ryal was divided into 136 smaller coins called pysa. It wasn't the only money around; people also used the Indian rupee and a silver coin called the Maria Theresa thaler. Eventually, the ryal was replaced by the Zanzibari rupee. One ryal was worth about 2 and an eighth rupees.
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Coins of Zanzibar: The Ryal
In 1882, new coins were made for Zanzibar. This year is also known as A.H. 1299 in the Islamic calendar. These coins came in different values: 1 pysa, and then ¼, ½, 1, 2½, and 5 ryals.
What Were the Coins Made Of?
The 1 pysa coins were made from copper. The ¼, ½, and 1 ryal coins were made of shiny silver. The larger 2½ and 5 ryal coins were made of valuable gold! More 1 pysa coins were made in 1887 (A.H. 1304), but no more silver or gold ryal coins were ever made after 1882.
Where Were the Coins Made?
The silver and gold ryal coins looked very similar, only their value was different. They were made far away at the Royal Belgian Mint in Brussels, Belgium. Interestingly, only the 1 ryal and 5 ryal coins were actually used by people. The ¼, ½, and 2½ ryal coins were only made as "patterns," which means they were test coins and not put into circulation.
What Did the 1 Ryal Coin Look Like?
The 1 ryal coin was about 38 millimeters wide, which is a bit bigger than a US quarter. It had special writing and designs:
- Front (Obverse): This side had Arabic words that said "Allah guards" and "sultan Sa’id bin Barghash bin Sultan." Sultan Sa'id bin Barghash was the ruler of Zanzibar at that time.
- Back (Reverse): This side showed "ryal 1, coin of Sa’idiat, year 1299."
Zanzibar is often called the Isle of Cloves because it was famous for growing many cloves. If you look closely at the coins, you can see small clove sprigs (little branches with cloves) in different places on both the front and back!
