5 Dirhams - Zayed 15th Hijrah Century

Issued to mark the start of the 15th Hijri century — 1401 AH, corresponding to late 1980 — this commemorative was part of a broader pattern across the Islamic world of treating the centennial as a moment of institutional recognition. The UAE Central Bank was barely a decade old at the time of striking, having been established in 1980 to replace the Currency Board. Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who had unified the seven emirates in 1971, remained the dominant political force behind such commemorative decisions.

KM#9 is not rare, but genuine circulated examples are less common than the mintage might suggest — most were set aside on issue.