Item number: A4189

Year: AD 1836

Material: Gold (.875)

Size: 13.0 x 12.5 mm

Weight: 0.42 g recorded

Manufactured by: Cairo Mint

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2020

This gold coin, with a denomination of 5 Kurush, was issued in AD 1836 by Muhammad Ali, the Pasha of Egypt, in the name of the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II.

The obverse features the Tughra of Mahmud II (محمود ثاني) at the centre, reading “محمود خان بن عبد الحميد مظفر دائماً” (Mahmud Han bin Abdulhamid muzaffer daima), which translates as “Mahmud Khan, son of Abdul-Hamid, ever victorious”. Situated below is the abbreviated denomination “٥ ش” (5 Qirsh), representing 5 Kurush (قروش ٥). The outer margin is finished with a corded border.

The centre of the reverse bears the inscription “ضرب في مصر” (Duriba fi Misr), signifying “Struck in Egypt (مصر)”. The numeral “١٢٢٣” (1223) at the lower margin denotes the Islamic year of the Sultan’s accession, corresponding to AD 1807–1808. The numeral “٣٠” (30) at the upper margin refers to the 30th regnal year, which corresponds to AD 1836–1837.

At the close of the 18th century AD, following successive military defeats, Sultan Selim III (سليم ثالث) attempted to emulate the reforms of Peter the Great by modernising the Ottoman military; however, he was subsequently assassinated during a Janissary revolt. Upon his accession, Mahmud II (محمود ثاني) pursued military reform with greater radicalism. In AD 1826, Mahmud II (محمود ثاني) initiated the Auspicious Incident (واقعة خيرية), purging Janissary opposition and establishing a modernised military force, thereby centralising powers previously dispersed among provincial authorities.

Despite these perceived successes, the empire suffered a crushing defeat in the Russo-Turkish War of AD 1828. Consequently—perhaps to sustain further reforms or to alleviate the fiscal distress caused by military losses—Mahmud II (محمود ثاني) inaugurated monetary reforms in AD 1834. These reforms legally established a fixed exchange rate between gold and silver, effectively transitioning the empire to a bimetallic standard. He further issued the Mahmudiye (محمودية) gold coins, which, in accordance with the aforementioned decree, linked the value of gold to silver units—primarily the Kurush (قروش)—and improved both the fineness and the standardisation of the coinage. In practice, however, the absence of effective measures to withdraw debased older currency ensured that market instability persisted, rendering the reform incomplete.

In the early 19th century AD, the power vacuum following the withdrawal of Napoleonic forces precipitated a conflict between the Ottoman central army, Albanian mercenaries, and the Mamluk (مملوك) factions that had dominated Egypt (مصر) for centuries. Muhammad Ali (محمد علي), an Albanian officer, expertly exploited the grievances of Cairo’s (القاهرة) citizenry and the Ulama (علماء) against the oppressive Mamluk (مملوك) rule, compelling the Sultan to appoint him Pasha (باشا) in AD 1805.

In AD 1811, Ali (علي) orchestrated the Massacre of the Citadel in Cairo (القاهرة), eliminating the remaining Mamluk (مملوك) leaders. This allowed Ali (علي) to establish a de facto military dictatorship and the authority to implement modernising reforms. During his intervention in the Greek War of Independence at the Ottoman Sultan’s request, his fleet was destroyed by the British. Following the Sultan’s refusal to provide compensation, Ali (علي) launched a military campaign to seize Syria (سوريا). Despite his swift victories, the intervention of European powers on the eve of his march toward Istanbul (إسطنبول) restricted his gains to hereditary rule over Egypt (مصر) and the Hejaz (الحجاز). Regarding monetary policy, although Muhammad Ali (محمد علي) issued currency in the Sultan’s name, he maintained local minting operations and aligned the value of his coinage with Western currencies to facilitate his modernising objectives.

物件編號: A4189

年代: 公元 1836 年

材質: 金 (.875)

尺寸: 13.0 x 12.5 mm

重量: 紀錄為 0.42 g

製造地: 開羅

來源: 福君錢幣 2025

這是一枚公元1836年，埃及帕夏穆罕默德·阿里以鄂圖曼土耳其蘇丹馬哈茂德二世的名義發行的金幣，面額5庫魯什。

錢幣正面中央為馬哈茂德二世的花押「محمود خان بن عبد الحميد مظفر دائماً」(Mahmud Han bin Abdulhamid muzaffer daima)，意為「永遠勝利的阿卜杜勒-哈米德之子，馬哈茂德汗」。下方為面額「٥ ش」(5 (Qir)sh)，即「五庫魯什的簡寫」。外緣有繩狀邊環。

錢幣背面中央為「ضرب في مصر」(Duriba fi Misr)，即「鑄於埃及」，下緣的「١٢٢٣」(1223)即伊斯蘭曆1223年，為蘇丹登基年份，相當於公元1807至1808年。上緣的數字「٣٠」(30)則是對應到登基第30年，相當於公元1836至1837年。

公元18世紀末，在連續的軍事失敗後，蘇丹塞利姆三世(Selim III)嘗試仿效俄國彼得大帝改革，首先開始在鄂圖曼土耳其推進軍隊的現代化，隨即因禁衛軍叛亂而見殺。馬哈茂德二世(Mahmud II)上位後，則以更激進的方式推進軍事改革。公元1826年，馬哈茂德二世發動「吉祥事變」(Vak’a-i Hayriyye)，肅清了禁衛軍中的反對者，並另行建制起一支現代化的軍隊，並藉此將部分分散於地方政府的權力收歸中央。儘管改革似有所成效，但在公元1928年的俄土戰爭中仍然慘敗。而或許是為了續行改革，也或許是為了彌補軍事失利造成的財政困窘，公元1834年，馬哈茂德二世開始進行貨幣改革。其以法律正式規定了金、銀幣之間的法定比價，亦即實質上轉為金銀雙本位制。還發行「馬哈茂德金幣」(Mahmudiye)，並依前述法令，將金幣價值與銀幣單位(多為庫魯什)掛勾，並提升了貨幣的成色與鑄造的標準化。但實際上，因為並未制訂有效的舊幣回收措施，市場仍然混亂，改革未盡全功。

公元19世紀初，拿破崙軍隊撤離後留下的權力真空，引發了鄂圖曼中央派遣軍、阿爾巴尼亞僱傭軍以及盤踞埃及數百年的馬穆魯克(Mamluk)集團之間的混戰。穆罕默德·阿里作為一名阿爾巴尼亞軍官，巧妙地利用開羅市民與教長(Ulama)對馬穆魯克殘酷統治的不滿，於1805年迫使蘇丹任命其為總督。公元1811年，阿里在開羅城堡發動著名的「宴會屠殺」，將殘存的馬穆魯克領袖一舉消滅，使阿里得以進行實質上的軍事獨裁，並使其有了進行現代化改革的權力。在受鄂圖曼邀請前往鎮壓希臘獨立戰爭時，所轄海軍被英軍全殲。阿里向鄂圖曼蘇丹馬哈茂德二世索賠未果，於是逕行出兵奪取敘利亞。阿里沿途所向皆捷，但在進軍伊斯坦堡前夕，歐洲列強介入調停，最終僅得到對埃及和漢志地區的世襲統治權。在貨幣制度方面，穆罕默德·阿里雖以蘇丹為名，但進行本地自鑄，價值並與西方貨幣勾兌，以利於進行現代化改革。