Catalog
10 Riyals 1953 Haj Pilgrim Receipt Issue
| Issuer | Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency |
|---|---|
| Year | 1953 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of a tall palm tree above two crossed swords set within an intricate guilloche rosette, printed in green on a light ground with floral arabesque border running the full perimeter of the note. Arabic text of the receipt legend is arranged in two columns flanking the central vignette, with the denomination numerals '10' at each lower corner. At the foot of the note, the denomination is rendered in English, Arabic, Urdu, and Farsi, with the English bearer clause and the printer's imprint 'THOMAS DE LA RUE & CO. LTD.' in small letterpress below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is entirely text-based, printed in green on a white ground within a decorative border matching the obverse. The bearer clause is set out in four horizontal panels, each carrying the receipt text in a different language: Arabic at the top, followed by Urdu, Persian (Farsi), and Ottoman Turkish at the foot. Denomination numerals '10' appear at both lower corners, and the serial number is printed twice in red at the top in Eastern Arabic-Indic script. |
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| Comments |
Saudi Arabia's first nationally issued paper money was not intended for the domestic economy at all. The Haj Pilgrim Receipt series was created specifically to allow foreign pilgrims to convert their currencies into a convenient local instrument for use during the hajj season, reducing the flood of foreign coinage into the Hijaz. SAMA had only been established in 1952, and these notes — technically receipts, not banknotes in the full legal sense — were a cautious first step from an institution serving a government deeply reluctant to introduce paper currency on religious grounds.
De La Rue printed the series in London. Redeemable for Saudi riyals, they were not legal tender for the general population and were withdrawn at the end of each pilgrimage season.