Syrian pound
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The Syrian pound (Arabic الليرة السورية al-līra as-sūriyya) is the form of currency used in Syria. The word lira is the Arabic translation of pound. The pound is subdivided into 100 piastres.
The standard abbreviation for the Syrian pound is SYP. On February 6th, 2004, the rate of exchange as recorded by xe.com was 49.2427 SYP to the US dollar. A rate of about 50 pounds to one dollar has been usual in the early 2000s, but the exchange rate is subject to considerable fluctuations.
History
Before World War I, Syria was part of the Ottoman empire and the Turkish lira was the legal tender. Following the fall of the Ottoman empire and the placing of Syria under a mandate, the Egyptian pound was used in the states under French and British mandates, including Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. Upon taking Lebanon and Syria under its separate mandate, the French government sought to replace the Egyptian currency and granted a commercial bank, the Banque de Syrie (a French affiliate of the Ottoman Bank), the authority to issue a currency for states under its new mandate. As the political status of Lebanon evolved, the Banque de Syrie, which was to act as the official bank for Lebanon and Syria, was renamed the Banque de Syrie et du Liban (BSL). The BSL issued a Franc based Lebanese-Syrian currency for 15 years starting in 1924. Two years before the expiration of the 15 year period, the BSL split the Lebanese-Syrian currency into two separate currencies that could still be used interchangeably in either state. In modern times, however, the currencies are separate as evidenced by the fact that the Lebanese pound is 30 times weaker than the Syrian pound. A new series of banknotes was printed in 1998. Many of the old bills were redesigned and a new 1000 pound note was also added.
Banknotes
Arabic side (front, obverse) |
Value |
English side (back, reverse) |
|---|---|---|
Missing image Philipnote.JPG Philip the Arab and the ampitheatre at Bosra |
100 |
Missing image Philipback.jpg The Hijaz railway |
External link
xe.com Universal Currency Converter (http://www.xe.com) Template:AsianCurrenciesde:Syrische Lira sl:sirski funt