This unit was similar in concept to the Belga, a unit worth five Belgian francs. The word is thus comparable to centime, cent, Latin centenarius, etc.īetween 19, the main unit of Albanian currency was the franga ari (English: gold franc) (Fr.A.), worth 5 Lek and divided into 100 qindar ar ( gold cent), used in international transactions. The word qindarkë comes from the Albanian qind, meaning one hundred, or from Arabic qintār ("hundredweight"). Alexander's portrait appeared on the obverse of the 1 lek coin, while the reverse showed him on his horse. The lek was named after Alexander the Great, whose name is often shortened to Leka in Albanian. In 1923 Italian paper circulated at Shkodër, Durrës, Vlorë, and Gjirokastër, and the Greek drachma at Korçë, the values of which varied according to locality and the prevailing rates of exchange as compared with gold. Before the First World War the Ottoman Turkish piastre was in full circulation, but following the military occupation of the country by various continental powers the gold franc ( Franc Germinal) was adopted as the monetary unit. īefore then, Albania was a country without a currency, adhering to a gold standard for the fixation of commercial values. The lek was introduced as the first Albanian currency in February 1926.
Alexander the Great on the first Albanian 1 Lek coin.
0 kommentar(er)
