Our blog-ette this week is looking at a banknote from Afghanistan. Given the nickname of Graveyard of Empires due to its inability to be conquered, Afghanistan is a landlocked country in south-central Asia, and is officially known as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. It is a multiethnic country with a history dating back over 5,000 years. Afghanistan is home to the oldest known oil paintings that date back to the 7th century AD. Another interesting fact, this country has had over 20 different flags since the creation of its first flag in 1747.

This week’s banknote is Afghanistan's 1,000 Afghanis from 1991 (B345c; P61c). This is a brown and red paper banknote with English and Pashto text. On the front of the note are images of a bank seal, birds, and the Blue Mosque. The back displays an image of a monument to fallen Afghan soldiers and Victory Arch. The watermark for this note varies.

The Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif is also referred to as the Shrine of Hazrat Ali, or the tomb of the saint. Located in the center of the city, the mosque is a large, blue-tiled building. It is one of the sites that is reputed to be the burial place of Ali ibn Abi Talib. Ali ibn Abi Talib was the cousin and son-in-law to the Prophet Muhammad. He was the last of four Caliphs to rule Islam. His succession caused a divide between Muslims, and led to his assassination in 661 AD.

The back of this banknote shows a monument to fallen Afghan soldiers in the Wars of Independence and Victory Arch in Paghman Gardens near Kabul. The Victory Arch also known as Taq-e Zafar is a white marble monument located at the front of Paghman Gardens. It commemorates Afghan independence in 1919 after the Third Anglo-Afghan War. During the Soviet-Afghan War the Victory Arch was damaged, but was fully restored in 2005. Unfortunately, I could not find information on the monument honoring fallen Afghan soldiers; however, it is a beautiful monument with several photos available for viewing online when searching Paghman Gardens.

This brown banknote shows Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, a monument to fallen Afghan soldiers, and Victory Arch. To see more about this note or other notes like it, head to our website.

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To go to the listing for this banknote, click here.