The name of the Azerbaijani currency, manat, entered the language from Russian moneta, which in turn entered Russian from the modern French monnaie, or Old French monoie, and traces its origin, just as English money, back to Latin moneta, “place for coining money, mint; coined money, money, coinage,” from Moneta, a title or surname of the Roman goddess Juno, in or near whose temple money was coined.
Robert Kalina, a banknote designer at the National Bank of Austria, designed the Azerbaijani manat, as well as the European euro and the Syrian pound.
In 1996, a competition was held by the Council of the European Monetary Institute to select the design for the new euro. Mr. Kalina’s design was selected from 44 proposals. The manat, like the euro, features designs based on historical and cultural elements.
Azerbaijan’s
historic coinage reflects the nation's complex political history, from
ancient times to the modern day. At the historic crossroads between Europe,
Asia, and the Middle East, the design and format of Azerbaijani coins and
currency have been greatly influenced by frequent invasions and political
upheaval in the region. Hellenic, Roman, Parthian, Persian, Arabic, Turkic,
and Russian influences can be seen throughout nearly 3,000 years of coinage.
Today, Azerbaijan’s coinage reflects the diverse history and culture of
the country.
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