Akçe

The akçe or akça (anglicized as akche, akcheh or aqcha; Template:Langx; {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, 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>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the Crimean Khanate. The basic meaning of the word is "silver" or "silver money", deriving from the Turkish word {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Gloss) and the diminutive suffix {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Three {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}s were equal to one {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. One-hundred and twenty {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}s equalled one {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. Later after 1687 the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} became the main unit of account, replacing the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. In 1843, the silver {{#invoke:Lang|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 {{#invoke:Lang|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 {{#invoke:Lang|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 {{#invoke:Lang|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

• Akşa
• Manghir

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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