Fals

The fals (plural fulus) was a medieval copper coin first produced by the Umayyad caliphate (661–750) beginning in the late 7th century. The name is a corruption of follis, a Roman and later Byzantine copper coin. The fals usually featured ornate Arabic script on both sides. Various copper fals were produced until the 19th century. Their weight varied, from one gram to ten grams or more. The term is still used in modern spoken Arabic for money, but pronounced 'fils'.[1]

This article is about the coin. For the town in France, see Fals, Lot-et-Garonne. For the Indonesian singer-songwriter, see Iwan Fals.
"Fulus" redirects here. For the modern unit of account, see Fils (currency).
A fals minted in Damascus between 696 and 750
Fals (Copper Coin) of al Mamun 194-218 AH (813-833 AD). Fals de cuivre AH 219, al-Quds (Jerusalem). Under the Umayyads Jerusalem was known by its Roman name Iliya Filastin (Arabic names for Palestine), but from the time of Caliph al Mamun it was given the Islamic religious name al-Quds (meaning «holiness» or «sanctity»).
Fals (Copper Coin) of Al-Ma'mun. AH 199-218 / AD 813-833. Fals, al-Quds (Jerusalem) mint. Dated AH 217 (AD 832/3)
Fals of Mansur I ibn Nuh, minted in Bukhara, AH 353 (AD 964). Fals weight (22mm, 2.12 g, 4h). Citing Abbasid Caliph Al-Muti as overlord. Diameter 22 mm (0.87 in), weight 2.1 g (0.074 oz).

See also

Daughter currencies:

  • Fils, a subdivision of the dinar, dirham or rial
  • Falus, coin of Morocco (1672–1901)

References
  1. Stephen Album, Checklist of Islamic Coins, Santa Rosa, CA, 2011, third edition, p. 7
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