Hejaz riyal Hejaz riyal The riyal (Arabic:ريال "") was the currency of the Kingdom of Hejaz between 1916 and 1925. It was subdivided into 20 qirsh (). The riyal was a silver coin the same weight as the Ottoman 20 kuruş coin but was minted in .917 fineness rather than .830 fineness. The Hejaz riyal was replaced by the Saudi riyal in 1925 at par. In 1916, bronze coins were issued for ⅛, ¼, ½ and 1 qirsh together with silver 5, 10 and 20 qirsh. Gold 1 dinar coins were also minted. Turkish and Egyptian coins and Maria Theresa thaler, were
Qirsh Italian . Qirsh Qirsh, Ersh, Gersh, Grush, Kuruş and Grosi are all names for currency denominations in and around the territories formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. The variation in the name stems from the different languages it is used in (Arabic, Amharic, Hebrew, Turkish and Greek) and the different transcriptions into the Latin alphabet. The name originally comes from the Italian , as in , a silver coin worth twelve denari. The original qirsh was a large, 17th century silver piece, similar to the European thalers, issued by the Ottomans. It was worth 40 "para". In 1844, following sustained