"كتيّب بلاد الرافدين. المجلد I. ١٩١٨" [‎٢‎٣‎٥] (٥٦٨/٢٤٤)

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CUEEENCY, WEIGHTS AND MEASUEES 235
Other Turkish coins, with their approximate pre-war English
values, are as follows :
1 Fulsain (5 Paras) i
2 Fulsain = 1 Qursh Eaij or Mitliq . , . =
2 Mitliqs = 1 Qamari = 1
4 Mitliqs = 1 Qursh Sagh . . , . . = 2
5 Mitliqs = 1 Euba Bashlik or Abu Khamseh. . = 2^
8 Mitliqs = 1 Qurshain Sagh or Abu Thamaniyeh . = 4
10 Mitliqs = 1 Nasf Bashlik or Abu Ashreh . . = 5
2 Nasf Bashliks = 1 Bashlik or Euba Mejidi . . = 10
2 Bashliks = 1 Nasf Mejidi = 18
2 Nasf Mejidis = 1 Mejidi = 34
Of these the fulsain and mitliq are nickel; the ruba bashlik,
and nasf bashlik alloy, and the rest silver. Before the war the ^ and
i bashUk were uncommon, and the others, except the by no
means plentiful.
Turkish coins of the same nominal value may differ considerably
in weight, &c. The distinction between ' good ' and ' bad ' money
varies locally: coins that would be considered ' bad' in some towns
or districts will pass in others. At Baghdad lirahs and were
assayed for local circulation by sarafs (see p. 206).
Foreign Coinage in Irak up to 1914. —The import of foreign silver
was legally forbidden, but in fact, the amount of Turkish coinage
being inadequate, the use of foreign currencies was inevitable.
Persian coinage was specially common, owing to the close com
mercial connexion between Irak and Persia and the great numbers of
Persian pilgrims who visited the country. There was little Persian
gold, but much Persian silver—the double (then about 8^6?.),
the (/ran (about 4^?.), the hnli-qran, the quarter-grcm, and the sittah
fulus (about ^d.). A Persian copper coin, erroneously called sJicihi
(worth about Tgd.), was also used.
There was a large quantity of Indian silver in Irak, especially in
Basra. Seizures of Indian coin were occasionally made by the Turk
ish authorities.
Some English, French, and Eussian gold was in circulation.
Foreign Currency since 1914. —The Expeditionary Force has been
financed with Indian rupees (accompanied by proportionate amounts
of small copper and nickel coins) and with Indian currency notes.
These found immediate acceptance, the popularity of Indian notes
being specially marked, and the currency of Irak is now predomi
nantly Indian. By April 1917 not only Turkish but Persian