5 Pounds EGY Banknote (Kingdom / Early Republic) 1989-2001

5 Pounds Egyptian Pound (Issued 1989-2001)

Cotton, tourism, and the Suez Canal revenues formed the backbone of Egypt’s economy during the period spanning 1989 to 2001, and the five-pound note circulated widely as an everyday denomination facilitating commerce across Cairo’s markets, the Nile Delta’s agricultural trade routes, and the country’s growing service sector. The Egyptian Pound served as the primary medium for domestic transactions at a time when Egypt was undergoing significant economic liberalisation under the structural reform programmes of the 1990s. This issued series bridges the late Mubarak era and reflects the Central Bank of Egypt’s commitment to embedding national heritage into the fabric of its currency. The note was eventually withdrawn as newer, more secure issues replaced it in active circulation.

On the front, the dominant centrepiece is a detailed architectural engraving of the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo, one of the oldest and largest mosques in Egypt, rendered with considerable precision in a deep blue-grey and violet palette. The mosque’s distinctive minaret rises prominently above the arched colonnaded courtyard, and the intricate geometric stonework of the façade is faithfully reproduced through fine intaglio-style line engraving that gives the image considerable depth and texture. The upper portion of the note features an octagonal vignette framing the minaret against an open sky, surrounded by a dense field of guilloché patterning in pale blue and green tones that extends across the upper register. Arabic script dominates the right-hand side of the note, with the issuing authority name البنك المركزي المصري, meaning the Central Bank of Egypt, appearing prominently in bold Arabic calligraphy, alongside the denomination خمسة جنيهات, meaning Five Pounds, rendered in large, flowing script. The word الحافظ, meaning the Governor, appears beneath the denomination text, accompanied by a signature line. A serial number, printed in blue, appears twice on the note — once in the upper left area reading 19/ه • ١١٧٩٥٨ and repeated along the lower register — while a secondary reference number 80049 is printed in smaller type to the left. The numeral 5 appears in an octagonal cartouche at the lower left in dark ink, echoed by decorative rosette and arabesque border patterns in muted green and blue along all four margins. The overall ground colour of the note is a cool blue-grey with subtle multicoloured guilloché underprint providing a layered security background across the entire surface.

The reverse of the note is printed in a complementary palette of soft greens, muted purples, and warm ochre tones. The header reads “Central Bank of Egypt” in Roman script across the top, and the denomination “FIVE POUNDS” is printed in large bold capital letters to the left, accompanied by the numeral 5 below it, set against a circular multicoloured rosette in shades of green, blue, and gold that forms the primary decorative element of the left panel. The central panel features a tall vertical engraving of an ancient Egyptian relief carving depicting a standing figure, identifiable as a deity with characteristic Egyptian artistic conventions — the figure is shown in profile, wearing a tall crown, with arms extended towards a column of hieroglyphic inscriptions. This central image is flanked by two horizontal frieze panels: the lower left frieze depicts a scene of ancient agricultural labour, showing human figures ploughing with oxen and herding animals, while the lower right frieze depicts a procession of human figures in a similarly archaic style, all rendered in a dark blue-grey engraved line. To the right of the central deity panel, a stylised sun motif with radiating lines in orange-red tones occupies the upper right quadrant, beneath which a dark square vignette contains the numeral 5 in outline form. A security thread is visible running vertically through the paper, and the right-hand margin carries a repeating pattern of fine vertical lines and geometric ornamental banding in green. The combination of pharaonic imagery and Islamic architectural reference across the two faces of the note reflects Egypt’s dual cultural heritage as expressed through its mid-era banknote design philosophy.

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• Indicate the quantity of 5 Pounds Egyptian Pound banknotes you want to exchange
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• Your online account now shows the exchange value

If you have leftover currency to exchange, Webuyallcurrency.com accepts Egyptian Pounds banknotes and a wide range of other foreign coins and notes, paying out for the lot in a single straightforward transaction.