5000 Uzbekistani Som Banknote (National Assembly Building)

5,000 So’m Som (Issued 2013)

The architectural grandeur and sovereign imagery of Uzbekistan’s post-independence identity find vivid expression in the 5,000 So’m banknote issued by the Central Bank of Uzbekistan in 2013. Uzbekistan declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and the years that followed saw the nation’s currency evolve as a deliberate statement of national pride, drawing upon Islamic geometric art traditions, state heraldry, and the institutions of modern governance. The Latin script designation of this issue reflects Uzbekistan’s broader linguistic reform programme, which transitioned official written Uzbek from Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet during the 1990s, a transition that carried deep cultural and political significance for the population. This particular denomination represented a substantial unit of everyday purchasing power during the mid-2010s and circulated widely across the country.

On the front, the note is dominated by a rich mint-green and teal colour palette, with the central left portion displaying the State Emblem of Uzbekistan rendered in detailed intaglio engraving. The emblem features a Humo bird — the mythological bird of happiness in Uzbek tradition — at its centre, surrounded by decorative elements including cotton bolls and wheat sheaves, which represent the country’s agricultural heritage, along with a rising sun motif and the crescent and star of Islamic tradition. The emblem is enclosed within a circular cartouche and executed with fine line engraving that gives it considerable depth against the guilloché background. Above the emblem, the issuing authority name is printed in Latin script reading “O’ZBEKISTON RESPUBLIKASI MARKAZIY BANKI,” meaning the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan, set in dark text against the pale teal ground. The denomination is prominently displayed in two forms: the words “BESH MING” appear in bold dark lettering centrally positioned, meaning five thousand in Uzbek, while the numeral “5000” appears in a large, stylised font in the centre of the note rendered in blue and purple tones with an overlaid “SO’M” inscription integrated into the design. The serial number AF0747802 appears twice — once in the lower left of the central field and again in the lower right of the note, both printed in dark green ink. The year of issue, 2013, is printed in the upper right corner in blue numerals. To the right of the main design field, a vertical column of decorative rosette and geometric star motifs in dark olive and brown tones provides additional ornamental detail characteristic of Central Asian Islamic geometric art. The lower margin carries a legal tender declaration printed in small Latin script text running the full width of the note. The background throughout is filled with intricate guilloché rosette patterns and fine-line geometric latticework typical of high-security currency printing, producing a layered visual effect of extraordinary complexity. The paper itself carries a watermark area visible in the right portion of the note, and the security thread is integrated into the substrate in the manner standard to Central Bank of Uzbekistan issues of this period.

The reverse of the note is presented in a complementary palette of sage green, olive, and muted teal, with the central composition dominated by an engraved depiction of the Oliy Majlis building — the Parliament of the Republic of Uzbekistan — rendered in considerable architectural detail. The building is shown in a slightly elevated perspective, displaying its wide colonnaded facade with tall vertical pillars running across the full frontage, a prominent dome finished in blue-green tones surmounting the central structure, and the flag of Uzbekistan flying from a pole positioned atop the dome. Trees are visible flanking the building on both sides, rendered in hatched engraving that conveys a sense of landscaping. A label reading “OLIY MAJLIS BINOSI” appears beneath the building identifying the structure. The denomination “BESH MING” is printed above in bold dark type, with the large numeral “5000” and “SO’M” designation positioned in the upper central and right areas of the reverse in the same stylised typographic treatment as the front. The figure “5000” also appears in the lower left corner of the reverse. To the left of the main building vignette, the watermark window area appears as a pale, lightly textured zone. A large decorative guilloché rosette fills the upper right quadrant of the reverse, echoing the Islamic geometric tile patterns found throughout Uzbek architectural heritage, particularly the mosaic tilework of Samarkand and Bukhara. A fine-line geometric border frames the lower margin, within which a small legal disclaimer text in Latin script states that counterfeiting is prosecuted under the laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Looking to exchange leftover currency? Your 5,000 So’m banknote can be sold to Webuyallcurrency.com alongside other current Uzbekistani Som banknotes, turning spare money from a trip or collection into cash in one simple transaction.

• Indicate the quantity of 5,000 So’m Som banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

From leftover holiday money to inherited collections, Webuyallcurrency.com will exchange or buy your Uzbekistani Som banknotes and other foreign currency, handling old and withdrawn pieces in the same simple process.

Other Uzbekistani Som you can exchange: 1000, 2000, 10000, 20000, 50000, 100000, 200000.