Dirham

Dirham is a unit of currency in several Arabic-speaking nations, including:

• The Moroccan dirham
• The United Arab Emirates dirham
• 1/1000 of the Libyan dinar
• 1/100 of the Qatari riyal
• 1/10 of the Jordanian dinar
• The dirham, spelt 'diram,' is 1/100 of the Tajikistani somoni.

Historically, the word "dirham" is comes from 'dirhem' which comes from the name of a Greek coin, the Drachm; the Byzantine Empire controlled the Levant and traded with Arabia, circulating the coin there in pre-Islamic times and afterward. It was this currency which was first used as an Arab word. Near the end of the 7th century, the coin became an Islamic currency. It had the name of the sovereign and a religious verse on it. The dirham was used by many Mediterranean countries, including Spain. It could be used as currency in Europe between the 10th and 12 centuries.

Similar currencies

The Armenian dram is a currency whose name bears a similar origin. The dinar is a currency used in the Muslim world but originating with the Romans.