Catalog
5 Rials - Qaboos Nizwa Fort
| Issuer | Central Bank of Oman |
|---|---|
| Year | 1974 |
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| Currency | Rial (1972-date) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Reverse description | A detailed panoramic view of the historic Nizwa Fort occupies the central field, depicting the fort's massive circular tower with battlements and a flagpole, flanked by surrounding walls and palm trees, with mountains visible in the background to the right. The Hijri year ١٣٩٤ (1394) appears prominently in Arabic numerals at the top of the field. The denomination خمسة ريالات عمانية (Five Omani Rials) is inscribed in Arabic script in the lower portion of the field, presented in two flowing lines. The landscape composition is rendered with fine engraving detail, giving depth to the architectural and natural elements. |
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| Additional information |
Issued in the early years of Sultan Qaboos bin Said's reign, this coin appeared just a few years after the 1970 palace coup in which Qaboos ousted his father Said bin Taimur — a ruler so isolationist that Oman had fewer than ten kilometers of paved road at the time of his removal. The new government used commemorative silver issues partly as a diplomatic tool, projecting modernization to foreign audiences while domestic infrastructure spending was still in its earliest phases.
Nizwa served as Oman's capital for centuries and remained a center of Ibadi Islamic scholarship. The fort itself was heavily restored under Qaboos beginning in the 1990s.