The post recreation
department hosted a trip to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) Money
Museum. The currency of Saudi Arabia is the Saudi Riyal which is abbreviated as
SAR or SR.I thought this venue would be something interesting to do outside of
the normal shopping or visiting an eatery.
Once inside museum, there
were several halls to explore. In the first hall there were two silver dirhams
(unit of currency in several Arab states) that date back to the year 165 hejira
(H means the flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina) and 283H!
In another hall there were
raw material and tools that are used for minting gold and silver and print the
banknotes. In main showroom there were ancient currencies from pre-Islamic time
to present day. Also on display were currencies from fellow Gulf States and
other countries.
In an adjacent hall, it was devoted
to Saudi currency. This room contained coins that were struck (printed) during
the periods of 1372 to 1375H. There was also paper money that was printed when
King Fahd was the ruler. As of May 2007, the fifth domination of the Saudi Riyal features King Abdulaziz Al Saud on
the 500 riyal and King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz's picture on
all the other notes.
Toward the end of the tour, there was a room that you
could view films on how the currency is made and the proper way to check
currency for authenticity.
Before visiting the museum, which is located in the SAMA Head Office at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Street in Riyadh (+966 1 466 2779), it would be a good idea to call the museum director first to make a reservation. The tour is free!
All the best,
GMarie