Akçe
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The akçe or akça (anglicized as akche, akcheh or aqcha; Template:Langx; Template:IPA, Template:IPA, in Europe known as asper)<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> was a silver coin mainly known for being the chief monetary unit of the Ottoman Empire. It was also used in other states including the Anatolian Beyliks, the Aq Qoyunlu,<ref name=numista>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Crimean Khanate. The basic meaning of the word is "silver" or "silver money", deriving from the Turkish word Template:Lang (Template:Gloss) and the diminutive suffix Template:Lang.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Three Template:Langs were equal to one Template:Lang. One-hundred and twenty Template:Langs equalled one Template:Lang. Later after 1687 the Template:Lang became the main unit of account, replacing the Template:Lang. In 1843, the silver Template:Lang was joined by the gold lira in a bimetallic system.<ref>Sevket Pamuk, A Monetary History of the Ottoman Empire, Cambridge University Press, 2000, Template:ISBN</ref> Its weight fluctuated; one source estimates it between 1.15 and 1.18 grams.<ref name="Ermiş">Template:Cite book</ref> The name Template:Lang originally referred to a silver coin but later the meaning changed and it became a synonym for money.
The mint in Novo Brdo, a fortified mining town in the Serbian Despotate rich with gold and silver mines, began to strike Template:Lang in 1441 when it was captured by the Ottoman forces for the first time.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The Suleiman Mosque in Istanbul is said to have cost 59 million akçe when it was constructed in the 1550s. This amount is said to have equalled 700,000 ducats in gold (probably Venetian).
Debasement
Silver content and index in an Ottoman Template:Lang.<ref name=Malanima>Template:Cite book</ref>
| Year | Silver (g) | Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1450–60 | 0.85 | 100 |
| 1490–1500 | 0.68 | 80 |
| 1600 | 0.29 | 34 |
| 1700 | 0.13 | 15 |
| 1800 | 0.048 | 6 |
Value compared to the gold ducat of Venice by years:<ref name=tdv>Template:TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi</ref>
| Year | Ottoman akçes |
|---|---|
| 1431 | 35 |
| 1475 | 45 |
| 1491 | 52 |
| 1547 | 60 |
| 1585 | 110 |
| 1645 | 160 |
| 1659 | 220 |
| 1660 | 300 |
| 1721 | 375 |
| 1728 | 400 |
| 1737 | 440 |
See also
References
External links
- Ottoman coins
- September 1, 2013 - A huge treasure of 47,000 silver Akçe discovered in Goleşti, Romania
- Akçe, 1481: Crimean Khanate (Ottoman Empire)
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