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| United Arab Emirates currency 100 Dirhams |
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| United Arab Emirates 100 Dirham note |
The United Arab Emirates Currency Board was established on May 19, 1973, in an effort to replace the Bahraini dinar and Qatar and Dubai riyal currencies, which had been circulated in the United Arab Emirates since 1966. The United Arab Emirates dirham was introduced on May 19, 1973, replacing the dinar and riyal in a span of a few weeks.
On the front are geometric patterns with a pale circular area to the right, which holds the watermark of a horse’s head, and a circular vignette to the left. The vignette contains an outline of the coast of the United Arab Emirates, over which is written in Arabic ‘United Arab Emirates’. Above the outline of the coast is a dhow and below are four camels and a camel driver. To the left of the vignette is a palm tree, to the right is an oil derrick and below is a string of pearls. The notes have a solid security thread (to the left of centre) and are signed by the Chairman of the Currency Board (رئيس مجلس النقد), Sheikh Hamad bin Rashid al Maktoum (who was also the Minister of Finance and Industry).
On the back of the 100-dirham note is a view of Khorfakkan, a port in Fujairah on the east coast of the Emirates. However, although Khorfakkan is located in Fujairah, it is actually a dependency of Sharjah, which means that Sharjah is represented twice on the banknotes (i.e. once by the fort and clock tower on the 1-dirham note and again by the view of Khorfakkan). Khorfakkan has, at various times in the history of the Arabian Peninsula, been an important trading and administrative centre. Today it is the location of the only port in the United Arab Emirates that is outside the Arabian Gulf. The scene on the banknotes is observed from the vegetable and fish souk, close to the port.
First issued: 20 May 1973. Size: 166 mm x 73 mm.