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50 Rial - Abdulmecid I and Muhammad II
| Issuer | Tunisia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1856-1859 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Rial |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central field bearing a multi-line Arabic inscription identifying Muhammad II (Muhammad Bey) as regent of Tunisia, with the denomination of 50 Rials, enclosed within an elegant wreath of two olive or laurel branches tied at the base with a ribbon bow. A tughra-style ornament or floral device crowns the wreath at the top. The Hijri date appears in Eastern Arabic numerals below the main inscription, within the lower portion of the wreath. The entire design is framed by a continuous toothed border. |
| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
This coin was struck under the dual-sovereignty arrangement that defined Ottoman Tunisia in the mid-nineteenth century — the Husainid beys governed domestically while nominally acknowledging the sultan in Constantinople, a fiction both parties found convenient. The pairing of Abdülmecid I with Muhammad II (Muhammad Bey) on a single issue reflects the bey's careful diplomatic positioning during a period when he was simultaneously seeking greater autonomy and avoiding outright confrontation with the Porte.
Muhammad Bey promulgated Tunisia's Fundamental Pact in 1857 and its constitution in 1861, making Tunisia one of the first states in the Arab world to adopt a written constitution. This gold issue falls squarely within that reformist window.