Page 20 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 4,5

LIFE 105

Li must of the oases there is a trade in mutton, goat flesh,
"ll<fdaily provisions; but there are few bazaars, for everyone is
illl< j-yhant of his own produce in his own house.
a me

C. Currency

U Mecca, Medina, and the ports, and to some extent along the
Hajj road, Turkish coinage is current, for the surra, or subsidy,
is paid by the Turkish Government to the Sheikhs in Turkish meji-
dichs. But the Government prohibition of the use of foreign money
is obeyed only in transactions with Government departments ; hence
the currency is confused and complicated. Very various coins
circulate in the ports; andat Jiddah, and in a minor degree at Yambo‘,
money-changers ply a lucrative trade. In the ports and towns
rupees and dollars (both ‘ brum ’ and Maria Theresa ; see below)
are the coins perhaps most' in circulation. The Turkish silver
mejidfeh and gold lira are in considerable circulation, especially for
official purposes ; but the Turkish silver piastre is not much in
use, being mostly replaced by the Indian 2-anna piepe.
The following tables give the silver and gold currency of Jiddah :

Silver

The silver currency for ordinary transactions begins from the
lowest coin, the devani, which is an imaginary or ‘ account ’ coin,
or at any rate is now never seen.

28 devanis = 1 rezin (also imaginary).
40 devanis = 1 bad piastre (also imaginary).
28 bad piastres = 1 Umla dollar (also imaginary).
40 rezins = 1 Umla dollar (also imaginary).

1 he imaginary Umla dollar is the standard most used in trans­
actions with Arabs of the interior.

ooo° kaef piastres = 1 rupee.
to 324 bad piastres = 1 £ st.

•>n n °man s^ver piastre (real coin) = 2d. (about).
-0 Ottoman silver piastres (real coin) = I mejidieh.
;
lTo r? Ottoman silver piastres (real coin) = I £st. i
;
iiurv • oman Government account piastres, called ‘ gold ’ (imagi-

° ars, called ‘ brum ’, are of three kinds, viz. :
Singapore
Javanese | = each from 30 to 36 bad piastres.
Mexican
.

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