Akçe
Chief monetary unit of the Ottoman Empire
The akçe or akça (anglicized as akche, akcheh or aqcha; Ottoman Turkish: آقچه; Turkish pronunciation: [akˈt͡ʃe], [akˈt͡ʃa], known in Europe as asper) was a silver coin which was the chief monetary unit of the Ottoman Empire. It was also used in other states including the Anatolian Beyliks, the Aq Qoyunlu, and the Crimean Khanate. The basic meaning of the word is "silver" or "silver money", deriving from the Turkish word ak ('white') and the diminutive suffix -ça.
01Cost
Three akçes were equal to one para. One-hundred and twenty akçes equalled one kuruş. Later after 1687 the kuruş became the main unit of account, replacing the akçe. In 1843, the silver kuruş was joined by the gold lira in a bimetallic system. Its weight fluctuated; one source estimates it between 1.15 and 1.18 grams. The name akçe originally referred to a silver coin but later the meaning changed and it became a synonym for money.
02History
The mint in Novo Brdo, a fortified mining town in the Serbian Despotate rich with gold and silver mines, began to strike akçe in 1441 when it was captured by the Ottoman forces for the first time.
The Suleiman Mosque in Istanbul is said to have cost 59 million akçe when it was constructed in the 1550s. This amount is said to have equalled 700,000 ducats in gold (probably Venetian).
03Debasement
Silver content and index in an Ottoman akçe.
| Year | Silver (g) | Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1450-60 | 0.85 | 100 |
| 1490-1500 | 0.68 | 80 |
| 1600 | 0.29 | 34 |
| 1700 | 0.13 | 15 |
| 1800 | 0.048 | 6 |
Value compared to the gold ducat of Venice by years:
| Year | Ottoman akçes |
|---|---|
| 1431 | 35 |
| 1475 | 45 |
| 1491 | 52 |
| 1547 | 60 |
| 1585 | 110 |
| 1645 | 160 |
| 1659 | 220 |
| 1660 | 300 |
| 1721 | 375 |
| 1728 | 400 |
| 1737 | 440 |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Akçe”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Orhan Gazi Akçe.jpg by Unknown author, Public domain
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
