Ottoman 1-lira banknote with Armenian text, 1889

The picture shows an 1889 Ottoman Empire banknote of 1 lira. According to the source, it is the only Ottoman banknote with inscriptions in the empire’s four main languages: Turkish, French, Armenian and Greek. In the upper left corner the Armenian inscription “Osmanean 1 voski” (Ottoman 1 gold piece) is legible; the other corners give the same value in the other languages. The serial number is 040555.

The presence of Armenian testifies to the significant role of Armenians in the economic and administrative life of the empire. At that time 1 lira was equal to about 18.45 German marks or 3.7 US dollars. According to the source, the lower right part of the note bears the signature of the Ottoman Minister of Finance, Hakob Kazazian Pasha.