Abbasi (currency)

ʿAbbāsī (Persian: عباسی) was a name applied to gold and silver coins in Iran first issued by the Safavid Shah Abbas I (r. 1588–1629). It was in use until the early 20th century. These coins bore no face values and were passed by weight.^[1]

While the Iranian abbasi was also widespread in eastern Georgia,^[2] which was under the Iranian sway, the coin soon after also came to be minted at the mint in Tiflis (Tbilisi),^[3] where they were colloquially known as abazi.^[3]

After the Russian annexation of eastern Georgia in 1801, abbasi denominations (one-half abbasi--Muhammad; one quarter abbasi--shahi; one-tenth abbasi--bisti; 1/200th abbasi--dinar) influenced production of the new currency, the Georgian silver (kartuli tetri).^[3]

See also

• Money portal

• Georgian abazi