Abstract

This study seeks to shed light on the types of silver currency circulating in Jerusalem in the eighteenth century, of which the Akcheh was the oldest, as it was the official currency unit in circulation. As a result of the changing circumstances and economic conditions in the country, changes occurred to this currency and new coins were minted to replace it, such as the bar, the Ottoman coin, and the Egyptian piece. Other forms of money were circulated, such as Al-qirsh and the zuluta, and others minted in the style of foreign money, such as the lion qirsh and the riyal. The study presented an introduction to the coins, then the names and titles of the Ottoman sultans that were minted during their reign, along with the honorary titles and propaganda phrases that were written on some of the coins, in addition to the date and place of the coin's minting. The study relied on the records of the Sharia court in the first half of the eighteenth century because they contain valuable and diverse information that is rarely found in many sources and references about currencies that were circulated in Jerusalem during the first half of the 18th century.