The Bank of Algeria issued a commemorative 2,000-dinar bank note Nov. 2, in recognition of the 31st Arab League Summit in Algiers held Nov. 1 and 2, as well as the country’s 60th anniversary of independence from France. Officially, the summit is called the 31st Ordinary Session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the Summit Level. The note is worth the equivalent of $14.54.

This was the fourth time Algiers has hosted the summit. Among the issues discussed were the current Cold War climate affecting the world and an ongoing food crisis facing the Arab states.

The theme of the vertically oriented face is “liberation and independence.” It includes decorative patterns, an image of a crowd during the national liberation movement, the monument to the martyrs, revolutionary leader Emir Abdelkader, the national flag, the logo of the Arab League Summit and a map of the Arab world.

The theme of the horizontal back is “the postcard of Algeria.” It includes natural rock arches in the Sahara Desert, Port Say beach, camels, Djamaa El-Djazair (the great mosque of Algiers), the Hoggar mountains, and the Roman ruins of Tipaza.

The 158- by 72-millimeter bank note is printed in shades of green, red, blue, and brown on the composite DuraSafe substrate. It has several security elements, including a watermark of the Emir Abdelkader, tactile mark patterns, a transparent window of the geographical map of Algeria, and a colored security thread.

The fact that the note has both Arabic and English text for the first time has fomented controversy, particularly among French politicians and media. This is despite the fact that French has not been used on Algeria’s bank notes since 1964, which have used only Arabic from then until now. French socialist opposition party leader Jean-Luc-Mélenchon blamed President Emmanuel Macron for the omission and said on Twitter, “This is an Algerian banknote. The common language [French] is no longer [there]. Sadness.” Algeria’s president announced in July that English, in addition to French, will be taught in primary schools.

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