Qirsh, Gersh and Kuruş are all names for currency denominations in and around the territories formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. The variation in the name stems from the different languages it is used in (Arabic, Ethiopian and Turkish) and the different transcriptions into the Latin alphabet. The name originally comes from the Italian grosso, as in denaro grosso, a silver coin worth twelve denari. Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Sogut (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanlı Dynasty... Arabic (; , less formally, ) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world today. ...

The original qirsh was a large, 17th century silver piece, similar to the European thalers, issued by the Ottomans. It was worth 40 para. In 1844, following sustained debasement, the gold lira was introduced, worth 100 qirsh. General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Atomic mass 107. ... Examples of German and Austrian thalers compared to a US quarter piece The Thaler was a silver coin used throughout Europe for almost four hundred years. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Atomic mass 196. ... The Turkish lira was the currency of Turkey until 2005. ...

As the Ottoman Empire broke up, several successor states retained the qirsh as a denomination. These included Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey itself. Others, including Jordan and Sudan, adopted the qirsh as a denomination when they established their own currencies.

External links

• Ottoman Empire coins
• Turkish Republic coins and banknotes

See also

• Turkish lira
• Egyptian pound
• Saudi riyal
• Jordanian dinar
• Sudanese pound