ISSUE YEAR

1996

The history of currency in Bahrain is an integral part of the history of the country. It reflects not only the different stages of that
history, but also the strong relations enjoyed by Bahrain with many different countries in the world.

Bahrain was the first country in the Gulf to recognise the use of coinage as a means of enhancing trading and financial activity in the very early days. Indeed, the use of coinage made a strong contribution to Bahrain's early reputation as a commercial centre. Strategically located on one of the world's oldest trading routes between East and West, Bahrain had already become an important transit point offering traders a safe anchorage and a reliable supply of food and water, while its coastal waters were the source of the world's finest pearls. Over the centuries practically every form of money has passed through the hands of Bahrain's merchants, enabling Bahrain to claim a unique economic and political status in the region. The use of many forms of money continued until after 1965 when Bahrain introduced its own currency, the Bahraini Dinar.