Armenian dram - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The dram is the monetary unit of Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , or Artsakh Republic is a de facto independent republic located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia...

. It is subdivided into 100 luma . The word "dram" translates into English as "money" and is cognate with the Greek drachma. The Central Bank of Armenia

Central Bank of Armenia

The Central Bank of Armenia is the central bank of Armenia with its headquarters in Yerevan. The CBA is an independent institution responsible for issuing all banknotes and coins in the country, overseeing and regulating the banking sector and keeping the government's currency reserves...

has the exclusive right of issuing the national currency according to Armenian law.

History

The first instance of a dram currency in Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

was in the period from 1199 to 1375, when silver coins called dram were issued.

On 21 September 1991 a national referendum proclaimed Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

as an independent republic from the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

. The Central Bank of Armenia

Central Bank of Armenia

was adopted on 27 March 1993, under the governorship of Isahak Isahakyan

Isahak Isahakyan

Isahak Isahakyan was Vice Chairman of the Yerevan Office of the State Bank of the Armenian SSR from 1978 to 1986. After Armenia gained its independence from the Soviet Union he became the first Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia until 1994. He is currently an advisor to the Chairman of the...

. However the old Soviet banknotes were legal tender until November 1993. The modern dram came into effect on 22 November 1993, at a rate of 200 rubles

Russian ruble

The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation and the two partially recognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Formerly, the ruble was also the currency of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union prior to their breakups. Belarus and Transnistria also use currencies with...

= 1 dram (1 USD

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

: 377 AMD). The dram is not pegged to any other currency.

Coins

In 1994, coins were introduced by the Central Bank of Armenia

Central Bank of Armenia

in denominations of 10, 20 and 50 luma, 1, 3, 5 and 10 dram. All were struck in aluminium. In 2003 and 2004, a new coinage consisting of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 dram coins was introduced. The 10 dram is struck in aluminium, the 20 dram in copper-plated steel, the 50 dram in brass-plated steel, 100 dram in nickel-plated steel and 200 dram in brass. The 500 dram coin is bimetallic with a brass outer ring and cupronickel

Cupronickel

Cupronickel or copper-nickel or "cupernickel" is an alloy of copper that contains nickel and strengthening elements, such as iron and manganese. Cupronickel is highly resistant to corrosion in seawater, because its electrode potential is adjusted to be neutral with regard to seawater...

centre.

The Central Bank also produces commemorative coins.
http://www.cba.am/CBA_SITE/cba_images/coins/aivazovski1.gif
http://www.cba.am/CBA_SITE/cba_images/coins/aivazovski2.gif

Banknotes

In 1993, banknotes of 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 500 dram were issued. Notes for 1000 and 5000 dram were put into circulation on October 24, 1994 and September 1995, respectively. In 1999, a 20,000 dram note was issued, whilst a commemorative 50,000 dram note was issued in 2001 to observe the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

in Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

. 10,000 dram notes were introduced in 2003.

Banknote

Banknote

A banknote is a kind of negotiable instrument, a promissory note made by a bank payable to the bearer on demand, used as money, and in many jurisdictions is legal tender. In addition to coins, banknotes make up the cash or bearer forms of all modern fiat money...

s currently in circulation are

1000 dram
5000 dram
10,000 dram
20,000 dram
50,000 dram
100,000 dram

In addition, the following banknotes are no longer legal tender

Legal tender

Legal tender is a medium of payment allowed by law or recognized by a legal system to be valid for meeting a financial obligation. Paper currency is a common form of legal tender in many countries....

(since April 1, 2004) but may be exchanged at banks: 10, 25, 50 and 100 drams. The 1993 500-dram banknote has also ceased to be legal tender since September 1, 2005, but there is a 1999 500-dram banknote that is still in circulation.

Banknotes of 1993-1995 series (out of circulation)

The banknotes issued in 1993-1995 were put out of circulation after 2005.


Value	Main colour	Obverse description	Reverse description
10 Dram	Brown/Purple	Yerevan Central Train Station and David of Sasun David of Sasun David of Sasun or David of Sassoun is an Armenian epic hero from the Daredevils of Sassoun who drove Arab invaders out of Armenia.The Sasuntsi Davit is an Armenian national epic poem recounting David's exploits... statue	Mount Ararat Mount Ararat Mount Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat .The Ararat massif is about in diameter...
25 Dram	Yellow/Brown/Blue	Urartian Urartu Urartu , corresponding to Ararat or Kingdom of Van was an Iron Age kingdom centered around Lake Van in the Armenian Highland.... cuneiform tablet and a lion relief Relief Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane... from Erebuni fortress Erebuni Fortress Erebuni Fortress also known as Arin Berd is a fortified city from the ancient kingdom of Urartu, located in what is present-day Yerevan, Armenia. It was one of several fortresses built along the northern Urartian border and was one of the most important political, economic and cultural centers of...	Ornaments
50 Dram	Blue/Red	National Gallery National Gallery of Armenia The National Gallery of Armenia is one of the biggest museums of the Republic of Armenia, locate in its capital, Yerevan.-History:... and History Museum of Armenia	Armenian parliament building
100 Dram	Blue/Purple/Red	Mount Ararat Mount Ararat Mount Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat .The Ararat massif is about in diameter... and Zvartnots Cathedral Zvartnots Cathedral Zvartnots Cathedral are the ruins of a seventh century centrally-planned aisled tetraconch type Armenian cathedral built by order of the Catholicos Nerses the Builder from 641-653...	Armenian Opera Theater Armenian Opera Theater The Alexander Spendiarian Armenian Opera and Ballet National Academic Theatre in Yerevan was officially opened on 20 January 1933. The building was designed by the Armenian architect Alexander Tamanian...
200 Dram	Brown/Green/Yellow/Red	St. Hripsime Church in Echmiadzin St. Hripsime Church, Echmiadzin Saint Hripsimé Church is one of the oldest surviving churches in Armenia. The church was erected by Catholicos Komitas atop the original mausoleum built by Catholicos Sahak the Great in the year 395 AD that contained the remains of the martyred Saint Hripsimé to whom the church was dedicated. The...	Ornaments
500 Dram	Green/Brown/Blue	Mount Ararat Mount Ararat Mount Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat .The Ararat massif is about in diameter... and a Tigran the Great tetradrachm Tetradrachm The tetradrachm was an Ancient Greek silver coin equivalent to four drachmae. It was in wide circulation from 510 to 38 BC.-History:Many surviving tetradrachms were minted by the polis of Athens from around the middle of the 5th century BC onwards; the popular coin was widely used in transactions...	Ornaments
1000 Dram	Brown/Orange	Mesrop Mashtots statue and Matenadaran Matenadaran The Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts , commonly referred to as the Matenadaran , is an ancient manuscript repository located in Yerevan, Armenia...	7th century obelisk monument from Ani Ani Ani is a ruined and uninhabited medieval Armenian city-site situated in the Turkish province of Kars, near the border with Armenia. It was once the capital of a medieval Armenian kingdom that covered much of present day Armenia and eastern Turkey...
5000 Dram	Green/Yellow/Purple	Garni Garni Garni is a village in the Kotayk Province of Armenia, situated approximately 28 km southeast from Yerevan.- History :... temple	Bronze head of goddess Anahit Anahit Anahit was the goddess of fertility and healing, wisdom and water in Armenian mythology. In early periods she was the goddess of war. By the 5th century BC she was the main deity in Armenia along with Aramazd.- Temples dedicated to Anahit :... kept in the British Museum British Museum The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...

Banknotes of 1998 series

The banknotes of 50, 100 and 500 dram are currently put out of circulation and replaced by coins with respective values. The banknote of 50,000 dram was issued in 2001 in commemoration of 1700 years of Christianity in Armenia.


Value	Main colour	Obverse description	Reverse description
50 Dram	Pink/Blue/Grey	Aram Khachaturian Aram Khachaturian Aram Ilyich Khachaturian was a prominent Soviet composer. Khachaturian's works were often influenced by classical Russian music and Armenian folk music...	A scene from ballet Gayane composed by A. Khachaturian, and Mount Ararat Mount Ararat Mount Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat .The Ararat massif is about in diameter...
100 Dram	Blue/Grey	Viktor Amazaspovich Ambartsumian	Byurakan Observatory Byurakan Observatory The Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, or Byurakan Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Armenian Academy of Sciences. It is located on the slope of Mount Aragats in the village of Byurakan in Armenia.-History:...
500 Dram	Grey	Alexander Tamanyan	Government House in Yerevan designed by Al. Tamanyan
1000 Dram	Green/Pink	Yeghishe Charents Yeghishe Charents Yeghishe Charents was an Armenian poet, writer and public activist. Charents was an outstanding poet of the twentieth century, touching upon a multitude of topics that ranged from his experiences in the First World War, socialism, and, more prominently, on Armenia and Armenians.An early champion...	An image of old Yerevan Yerevan Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
5000 Dram	Yellow/Green	Hovhannes Tumanyan Hovhannes Tumanyan Hovhannes Tumanyan , is considered to be one of the greatest Armenian poets and writers. His work was mostly written in tragic form, often centering on the harsh lives of villagers in the Lori region.-Biography:...	Nature of Lori from Martiros Saryan Martiros Saryan Martiros Saryan was an Armenian painter.He was born into an Armenian family in Nor Nakhijevan . In 1895, aged 15, he completed the Nakhichevan school and from 1897 to 1904 studied at the Moscow School of Arts, including in the workshops of Valentin Serov and Konstantin Korovin... 's paintings
10,000 Dram	Purple	Avetik Isahakyan Avetik Isahakyan Avetik Isahakyan , Ghazarapat, near Aleksandropol, current Gyumri, Russian Empire – October 17, 1957, Yerevan) was a prominent Armenian lyric poet, writer, academian and public activist.-Biography:...	An image of old Gyumri Gyumri Gyumri is the capital and largest city of the Shirak Province in northwest Armenia. It is located about 120 km from the capital Yerevan, and, with a population of 168,918 , is the second-largest city in Armenia.The name of the city has been changed many times in history...
20,000 Dram	Yellow/Red/Brown	Martiros Saryan Martiros Saryan Martiros Saryan was an Armenian painter.He was born into an Armenian family in Nor Nakhijevan . In 1895, aged 15, he completed the Nakhichevan school and from 1897 to 1904 studied at the Moscow School of Arts, including in the workshops of Valentin Serov and Konstantin Korovin...	Episode from Martiros Saryan's Armenia landscape
50,000 Dram	Brown/Red	Etchmiadzin Cathedral	St. Gregory the Illuminator and king Tiridates the Great lift up the Armenian Church; on the right - a khachkar Khachkar A khachkar or khatchkar is a carved, cross-bearing, memorial stele covered with rosettes and other botanical motifs. Khachkars are characteristic of Medieval Christian Armenian art found in Armenia.-Description:... from Kecharis Monastery Kecharis Monastery Kecharis is a 11-13th-century monastery, located 60 km from Yerevan, in the ski resort town of Tsakhkadzor in Armenia. Nestled in the Bambak mountains, Kecharis was founded by a Pahlavuni prince in the 11th century, and construction continued until the middle of the 13th century... .
100,000 dram	Blue/Brown	Abgar V of Edessa Abgar V of Edessa Abgar V the black or Abgarus V of Edessa BC - AD 7 and AD 13 - 50) was a historical Syriac ruler of the Syriac kingdom of Osroene, holding his capital at Edessa....	In the center St. Thaddeus transfers the painting of Jesus Christ (painted alive) to Abgar V of Edessa Abgar V of Edessa Abgar V the black or Abgarus V of Edessa BC - AD 7 and AD 13 - 50) was a historical Syriac ruler of the Syriac kingdom of Osroene, holding his capital at Edessa.... .