Currency - Syria- 100 Pounds - Year 2009

Item code: 56/SY-1

Year	2009
Obverse	Bosra's main thoroughfare. The Bosra Amphitheatre.
Reverse	The dome of the Treasury (Qubbat al-Khazna) of Damascus in the Umayyad Mosque. Central Bank of Syria on the Sabaa Bahrat Square (Square of the Seven Fountains) in Damascus. Ancient Silver Antoninianus coin of Roman Emperor Philip the Arab, Marcus Julius Philippus Augustus, Philip I, or Philippus Arabs (Reign: 244-249)
Watermark	Head of an Arabian horse
Signature	Dr. Adib Mayaleh (Governor); Muhammad Naji Al-Otari

Obverse description

Bosra

Bosra (Arabic: بصرى‎‎ Buṣrā, officially known Busra al-Sham بصرى الشام) is a town in southern Syria, administratively belonging to the Daraa District of the Daraa Governorate and geographically being part of the Hauran region. Bosra has an ancient history and during the Roman era it was a prosperous provincial capital and Metropolitan Archbishopric, which became a Latin Catholic titular see and the episcopal see of a Melkite Archeparchy. It continued to be administratively important during the Islamic era, but became gradually less prominent during the Ottoman era. Today, it is a major archaeological site and has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Roman Theatre at Bosra

The Roman Theatre at Bosra (Arabic: المسرح الروماني ببصرى‎‎) is a large Ancient Roman theatre in Bosra, in thedistrict of Dar'a in south-western Syria. It was built in either the second quarter or the second half of the second century AD,and is constructed of black basalt. It was built outside the walls of the town, but was later completely enclosed by an Ayyūbid fortress.

The theatre is 102 metres across and has seating for about 15,000 people; it is thus among the largest of the Ancient Roman civilisation. It is also one of the best preserved. It was substantially restored between 1947 and 1970, before which it contained large quantities of sand, which may have helped to protect the interior.

  Reverse description

Qubbat al-Khazana(Dome of the Treasury)

Qubbat al-Khazna (Arabic: قبة الخزنة Qubbat al-Khazna), meaning the "Dome of the Treasury", is an old structure, located inside the courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria. It is an octagonal structure decorated with mosaics, standing on eight Roman columns. The Dome of the Treasury, like the mosque's prayer hall facade, was once completely covered in the colorful mosaic decoration for which the mosque was famous. The dome was built under orders from the governor of Damascus, Fadl ibn Salih, in 789.

The dome used to hold the mosque's large endowments. Some Greek, Latin, Syriac, Coptic, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Georgian old manuscripts were also housed in Qubbat al-Khazna in the past (e.g. Uncial 0126, 0144, and 0145). The manuscripts were generally kept out of view, but when German Emperor Wilhelm II visited Damascus in 1898, accompanying German scholars were allowed to handle them as a special favor, and for a limited time only.

The Central Bank of Syria

The Central Bank of Syria (Arabic: مصرف سورية المركزي‎‎, Masrif Suriat Almarkazi) is the central bank of Syria. The bank is located in Damascus with 11 branches in provincial capitals. It was established in 1953 and started its operations in 1956. The objective of the bank is "to foster the stability integrity and efficiency of the nation’s financial and payment systems so as to promote optimal macro economic performance".

Emperor Philip the Arab

Marcus Julius Philippus, also known commonly by his nickname Philip the Arab, also known as Philip, was Roman Emperor from 244 to 249. He was born in the Roman province of Arabia, in what is now present-day Syria and went on to become a major figure in the Roman Empire. He achieved power after the death of Gordian III, quickly negotiating peace with the Sassanid Empire. During his reign, Rome celebrated its millennium.

Among early Christian writers, Philip had the reputation of being sympathetic to the Christian faith. Probably for this reason it was even claimed by some that he had converted to Christianity, which would have made him the first Christian emperor. He supposedly tried to celebrate Easter with Christians in Antioch, but the bishop Saint Babylasmade him stand with the penitents. Philip and his wife received letters from Origen. Philip was overthrown and killed following a rebellion led by his successor Decius.

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