Money is a bird’s eye-view into a society: every symbol is a cultural microcosm, its language a direct look into each home. A single bill could travel from hand to hand, from office to fruit-truck, and every person along the journey would recognize the mosque on its front, the temple on its back, and the weight of it in their palm. That is the power of the Egyptian Pound. To honor it as a historical keystone of Egyptian culture for the past century, here is the evolution of the humble Pound bill. 1920 The first Pound was printed in 1914, following a decree that made it Egypt’s main currency. At the time, any and all available bills were printed by the Ahli Bank. This later changed in the 1960s, following the 1952 coup d’etat headed by the Free Officers Movement. 1930 – 1940 1950 This is an image of the final bill to represent the monarchy; featured is King Farouk, son of the Former King Fouad. Shortly after the issuing of this bill, Gamal Abd El Nasser would lead the Free Officers Movement and assume sovereignty of Egypt. From then,…
