100000 Uzbekistani Som Banknote (Museum Of Applied Arts)

100,000 So’m Som (Issued 2021)

Issued in 2021 under the presidency of Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who came to power in 2016 following the death of Islam Karimov after nearly three decades of authoritarian rule, this 100,000 Som banknote represents Uzbekistan’s accelerating programme of economic reform and renewed national confidence. Mirziyoyev’s administration oversaw sweeping liberalisation measures, including currency convertibility reforms that fundamentally transformed the Som’s role in everyday commerce. The introduction of this highest-denomination note reflected the practical demands of an economy experiencing sustained growth and modernisation. It stands as a direct product of post-Soviet Uzbekistan’s ongoing effort to project cultural heritage and institutional credibility through its currency.

On the front, the dominant central image is a detailed architectural engraving of Ichan Qala, the inner fortified city of Khiva, one of Uzbekistan’s most celebrated Silk Road monuments and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The walled citadel is rendered with considerable precision, its crenellated ramparts, domed structures, and distinctive minaret visible in fine intaglio-style engraving set within a diamond-shaped central vignette framed by geometric borders. The caption beneath the vignette reads “Ichan Qala, Xiva” in Latin script. The background of the note is composed of soft pastel tones — pale lilac, light green, and warm cream — overlaid with intricate guilloché patterns and fine latticework typical of contemporary Central Asian banknote design. To the upper left, the denomination “100000” appears in large bold numerals, and to the lower left the value is repeated in Uzbek Latin script reading “Bir Yuz Ming So’m”. The issuing authority’s name, rendered in Latin script as “O’zbekiston Respublikasi Markaziy Banki”, runs across the top of the note. The state emblem of Uzbekistan — depicting a rising sun over mountains with a Humo bird, wheat sheaves, and a cotton blossom — is printed in the upper right corner. A vertical security strip is embedded toward the right-hand side of the note, displaying colour-shifting properties and a repeating motif. The serial number “AX0201968” appears twice, once vertically in red along the left margin and once horizontally in red to the right of centre. The lower central area carries a standard legal tender inscription in Uzbek Latin script. The overall colour palette transitions from green and lilac on the left to softer warm tones on the right, with the security strip anchoring the right-centre portion of the design.

The reverse presents a richly detailed composition centred on archaeological and cultural motifs from Uzbekistan’s ancient heritage. A large ceramic vessel — a terracotta-coloured storage jar or urn of considerable size — dominates the right-centre of the reverse, rendered in detailed intaglio engraving that captures the surface texture and rounded form of the vessel with sculptural depth. To its left sits a large ancient coin rendered in teal or blue-green tones, its surface decorated with circular patterns and inscriptions in a historical script described in Latin characters below as relating to archaeological finds. Above and between these objects appears a golden optical security device or holographic patch printed in a deep amber-yellow, displaying a grid or lattice pattern that shifts under light. The upper right corner repeats the denomination in Uzbek Latin script reading “Bir Yuz Ming So’m”. The issuing bank name “O’zbekiston Respublikasi Markaziy Banki” is printed in full across the upper portion of the note in brown tones. The year “2021” appears in the upper left. The denomination “100000” is printed in large numerals in the lower right area of the reverse. A caption in smaller Latin script text beneath the central objects reads “Angkaqal’a Arxeologiya Yodgorligi”, identifying the site as an archaeological monument. A secondary legal inscription runs along the lower margin of the reverse in Uzbek Latin script. The background carries delicate guilloché patterns and geometric latticework in muted warm tones of cream, peach, and light olive, with a faint representation of a ruined fortress or citadel visible in the background behind the central objects, adding further historical depth to the overall composition.

Webuyallcurrency.com makes it easy to exchange old coins and banknotes — a 100,000 Som banknote from Uzbekistan is accepted with other current Uzbekistani Som banknotes and converted into cash in one go.

• Indicate the quantity of 100,000 So’m Som banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

Turn forgotten Uzbekistani Som banknotes into money: Webuyallcurrency.com lets you exchange foreign coins and notes — even withdrawn ones — as part of one clear transaction, no specialist knowledge required.

Other Uzbekistani Som you can exchange: 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, 20000, 50000, 200000.