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1 Piastre Siege of Khartoum
| Issuer | General Charles George Gordon (Governor-General of the Sudan) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1884 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Piastre (1) |
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| Obverse description | Printed in black on plain paper, the face bears Arabic text within a simple ruled rectangular border, with the denomination inscription in an upper cartouche flanked by decorative pointing hands. A hand-written serial number appears within a dotted oval frame at centre, above several lines of Arabic text authorising payment from the treasury of Khartoum. A circular blue handstamp, applied by authority of Gordon Pasha, is impressed over the lower text, with the date 1884 and the signature 'Gorden Pasha' inscribed at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | عرش واحد مصري هذا المبلغ مقبول ويجري دفعه من خزينة الخرطوم أو مصر بعد مضي ستة شهور من تاريخه ١٨٨٤ أبريل غوردون باشا |
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| Comments |
Charles Gordon issued these notes in late 1884 as the Mahdist siege of Khartoum tightened and the city's money supply collapsed. With no printing facility worth the name, Gordon requisitioned whatever paper was available — government stationery, scraps, whatever could take ink — and had notes hand-stamped and personally signed to give them authority. The signature is Gordon's own, which makes these among the most historically direct signed documents to survive from the siege.
Khartoum fell on 26 January 1885. Gordon was killed that morning, two days before the British relief column arrived.