1 Qirsh - Mahmud II

Mahmud II's Egyptian qirsh issues of this period reflect the administrative tangle of Ottoman suzerainty and Muhammad Ali's de facto autonomous rule over Egypt. By the 1830s, Muhammad Ali had effectively broken from Constantinople's economic orbit, running his own mints and monetary policy while Mahmud's tughra appeared on the coinage as a diplomatic formality rather than a mark of genuine control. The two men came close to outright war in 1839 — the same year this series ended — when Egyptian forces routed Ottoman troops at Nezib.