 |
| Coins of Egypt 20 Piastres Silver coin of 1917, British Protectorate. |
 |
| Egyptian Coins 20 Piastres Silver coin of 1917, British Protectorate. |
Obverse: Arabic script above bi-lingual value (20 PIASTRES). All within wreath. Dates (1917 / AH 1335) below. No inner circle!
Legend: Kufic script in arabic legends above accession date (AH 1333) of the Sultan. All within wreath. No inner circle!
Ruler: Sultan Hussein Kamel (British Administration)
Mintage: 250,000 pcs.
Reference: KM-322.
Weight: 27.51 gram of Silver (.833) .749 oz. ASW
Diameter: 40 mm
The British Protectorate of Egypt: 1914-22.
There could have been few milder occupations than the one the British imposed on Egypt upon the outbreak of the First World War. They had been there for years, concerned with their lifeline to India: the Suez Canal. But politically, Egypt was under the suzerainty of Turkey and the Egyptian Khedive, Muhammad V, was understandably pro-Turkish/anti-British. Muhammad was conveniently on a visit to Constantinople when the war broke out and, when Turkey came in on the side of the Central Powers in October, 1914, he was declared deposed by the British. In his place as sultan ruled his uncle, Hussein Kamil Pasha and, as of 18 December 1914, Egypt was declared a British Protectorate under the nominal rule of Hussein Kamil.
Economically, the war years were a boom time for Egypt as millions of pounds flowed into this staging area for operations in Gallipoli, Mesopotamia and Palestine. The price of Egyptian cotton – the country’s main commodity – soared and chronic unemployment was relieved by the demand for labour. Best of all, few Egyptians had to actually go to war – some 96,000 nominally served in the ranks but only 12,000 could remotely be called troops, the rest were steadily-employed labourers.
The former coinage of Egypt soon became inadequate for the demands made upon it as British and Commonwealth troops poured into the country. British coin was imported into the country through the Army Paymaster to the extent of £930,000 (1915-18), the British pound in whatever form declared legal tender at the rate of £1 = 975 Egyptian milliemes. The Egyptian pound (1000 milliemes) was therefore worth slightly more than the British – actually £1. 0s. 6½d sterling. In addition were a lot of Indian rupees without legal status.
But for the country as whole, it was necessary that an extensive coinage based on the Egyptian pound be struck and this the British proceeded to have done at two British (Heaton’s and King’s Norton) and two Indian (Calcutta and Bombay) mints beginning in 1916. For the first time, English as well as Arabic appeared on Egyptian coins, necessary for the edification of the occupying troops.
The British ended its protedctorate on February 28, 1922, giving Egypt independence but with four stipulations affecting Sudan, the Suez Canal and the British military. Egypt gained its full independence on November 14, 1936