Kingdom’s first 10-riyal note carried six languages

The first 10-riyal paper bill printed in 1953 used six languages. The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) issued the currency then to facilitate money handling for pilgrims.
Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, a collector of this old-dated ten-riyal paper bill, said it carried six languages of which he knows Arabic, English, Urdu and Persian. The other two he couldn’t identify.
“The Kingdom, since its founding by King Abdul Aziz, was and is still working at all levels and fields to facilitate things for pilgrims, visitors and Umrah pilgrims,” said bin Abdulaziz.
Inscriptions written on the paper bill say: “The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency holds in its possession a ten-riyal bill upon the request of the holder of this voucher, which can be reimbursed, and its value paid at any center of the many centers of the agency.”
Observers say that paper money is easy to handle and circulate in comparison to minted coins. Nonetheless they appreciated the recent initiative by the Ministry of Commerce to bring back the prestigious status of the minted coin, which retailers and consumers alike have neglected.
The campaign that the ministry launched in cooperation with SAMA aims at raising awareness among consumers of their rights to take back the change left when they buy items. It represents a positive step toward reviving the movement of the national currency — both paper bills and minted coins.
They explained that what has been happening lately, replacing parts of the coins left after buying commodities with other unnecessary items for consumers poses a threat to the national currency.
The Ministry of Commerce launched lately inspection tours of shops to check their compliance with the campaign “Take the change,” which aims to familiarize consumers with their rights to take the rest of the change left after buying items. Shops violating the binding directions will be fined.
The move comes following coordinated efforts between the commerce ministry and SAMA to provide coins via banks. SAMA will also fine banks that do not provide shops with enough coins.