10 Riyals QAT Banknote (1980s Issue) 1980

10 Riyals Qatari Riyal (Issued 1980)

Qatar’s emergence as a significant Gulf energy exporter during the late 1970s and early 1980s gave the Qatari Riyal its commercial weight, underpinning trade flows in petroleum, liquefied natural gas, and imported construction materials that fuelled the country’s rapid modernisation. The Qatar Monetary Agency, established to manage monetary policy and currency issuance, produced this 10 Riyals note to serve everyday commercial transactions across Doha’s bustling souks, construction sites, and trading ports. Denominations such as this circulated widely as Qatar channelled hydrocarbon revenues into infrastructure and public services. The note represents a formative chapter in Qatar’s monetary history, predating the later Qatar Central Bank series.

On the front, the note is dominated by a pale green and yellow-green colour scheme, with the design rendered across a finely lined background of delicate guilloché patterning that fills much of the central field. A prominent central security watermark panel, oval in form, contains the denomination inscription in Arabic — “عشرة ريالات” (Ten Riyals) — printed in bold green ink, with additional Arabic text beneath indicating the issuing authority and legal tender status. A manuscript-style signature appears below this central panel, followed by the Arabic title “وزير المالية” (Minister of Finance). The issuing authority’s name is displayed in ornate Arabic calligraphy along the upper portion of the note, rendered against a fine horizontal-line background. To the right of centre sits a circular vignette containing the state emblem of Qatar — a dhow sailing vessel beneath a palm tree, enclosed within an ornate roundel — executed in deep green engraving. The serial number, rendered in both Arabic-Indic numerals and Western numerals as “ج ٥٥٣٨٦٤” and “553864”, appears twice: once to the left of centre and again to the lower right, printed in dark green ink. The numeral “10” appears prominently in the lower left and lower right corners in bold green type, with further Arabic numerals at upper right. Decorative foliate scroll motifs in green frame the lower corners, adding an organic elegance to the geometric border. The overall paper has a warm cream tone, and the guilloché security printing beneath the central text panel is rendered in light blue and pink, providing an anti-counterfeiting underprint.

The reverse presents a striking architectural scene rendered in a palette of olive green, grey, violet, and purple. The central image depicts a large, multi-storeyed traditional Qatari government building — rendered in fine engraved line work — with crenellated rooflines, arched windows, and a formal entrance gate in the foreground, all set against a deep violet and purple sky that transitions to a lighter tone at the horizon. A flagpole bearing what appears to be the Qatari national flag rises from the rooftop of the principal building. Mature trees and low plantings flank the building’s façade, adding depth to the architectural composition. The building is understood to be the Qatar Monetary Agency headquarters in Doha. The words “THE QATAR MONETARY AGENCY” are printed in bold dark serif capitals along the uppermost border, and “TEN RIYALS” is inscribed in capitals along the lower border, both in English. The numeral “10” appears in the upper left and lower right corners, framed by decorative scroll elements matching those on the obverse. A fine guilloche border in olive green surrounds the entire design, with a small geometric security rosette visible at the upper right corner. The overall reverse engraving is crisp and detailed, the violet sky of the architectural vignette providing a vivid tonal contrast to the cooler greens of the surrounding border work.

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