20 Qirsh - Mahmud II

Mahmud II's Egyptian coinage of this period reflects the administrative reorganization imposed after Muhammad Ali effectively wrested autonomous control of Egypt from Istanbul — the coins were technically Ottoman issues, but the Pasha's mint in Cairo operated on its own terms. The 1835 monetary reform introduced a new, rationalized qirsh system intended to bring Egyptian currency into alignment with broader Ottoman standardization efforts under the Tanzimat's precursor reforms, though local silver supply inconsistencies meant fineness and weight tolerances varied noticeably across the run.