Currency: Jordanian Dinar

The dinar. Pronounced a bit like the English word “dinner” would be said by a very enthusiastic Scotsman (I suspect), it is how you call the currency used in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

This mysterious Jordanian currency is currently quite strong relative to the dollar (hovering at 1:1.41), and bills are available in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 dinar. Less rectangular than other currencies I have seen, the bills themselves are a variety of colors and feel as though they are made from fabric instead of paper (perhaps they are?).

Unfortunately, I never got the chance to use coins since everything “conveniently” came out even, but I acquired some coinage from the kind people at the La Maison Hotel. Apparently, one dinar can be divided into 10 dirham, 100 qirsh (or piastres), and 1000 fils (really? 1000?). I believe the coins pictures below are worth 1/2 a dinar, 1/4 a dinar and 1/10 a dinar (you can guess which is which).

Remember, if you're crossing the border into Jordan then make sure you have some dinar exchanged ahead of time because the exchange rates at the border hurt (like falling down stairs hurt).