Dinar
The dinar is the principal currency unit in several countries near the Mediterranean Sea, and its historical use is even more widespread.
The modern dinar's historical antecedents are the gold dinar, the main coin of the medieval Islamic empires, first issued in AH 77 by Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. The word "dinar" derives from the silver "denarius" coin of ancient Rome, first minted about 211 BCE.
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The English word "dinar" is the transliteration of the Arabic دينار, which was borrowed via the Syriac dīnarā from the Greek δηνάριον, itself from the Latin dēnārius.
The Kushan Empire introduced a gold coin known as the dīnāra into India in the 1st century AD; the Gupta Empire and its successors up to the 6th century adopted the coin. The modern gold dinar is a projected bullion gold coin, not issued as official currency by any state.Legal tender
Countries currently using a currency called "dinar" or similar
Countries | Currency | ISO 4217 code |
| Algerian dinar | DZD |
| Bahraini dinar | BHD |
| Iraqi dinar | IQD |
| Jordanian dinar | JOD |
| Kuwaiti dinar | KWD |
| Libyan dinar | LYD |
| Macedonian denar | MKN MKD |
| Serbian dinar | RSD CSD |
| Tunisian dinar | TND |
Countries and regions which have previously used a currency called "dinar" in the 20th century
The 8th century English king Offa of Mercia minted copies of Abbasid dinars struck in 774 by Caliph Al-Mansur with "Offa Rex" centered on the reverse. The moneyer visibly had no understanding of Arabic as the Arabic text contains many errors. Such coins may have been produced for trade with Islamic Spain.