Currency Today : Azerbaijan 8

The last notes of the Azerbaijan banknote series, are a 200 manat note (in circulation), and the high value 500 manat note (commemorative note).
500 manat represents nearly $300 / €265, and is rarely seen.

the 200 manat note:

This note, is in design similar to the in between type of the 10 manat note.
We see left and right in the border the hook-style markings. Here we see 7 hooks.
Presuming that 1 manat should have had one hook, 5 manat 2 hooks, 10 has 3 hooks, 20 manat would mean 4 hooks, 50 manat 5 hooks, 100 manat 6 hooks, and so we end with 7 hooks on this note.

200 manat (not in my collection)

the 500 manat note:

On the 500 manat note, the second Nagorno-Karabakh war (ended in 2020) is commemorated.
Although the area is still highly disputed, it is recognized as Azerbaijani territory. (3 countries however recognize the area as an independent state).

500 manat commemorative note - not in my collection

In the margins, we find the lines as in the new style notes.
As the one manat note has 1 line, the 5 has 3 lines, 10 (5), the 20 manat note have 7 lines, there arer 9 lines on the 50 manat note, 100 was supposed to have 11 lines and 200 manat 13 lines...
So we end up with 15 lines (/) on this 500 manat note.

500 manat reverse

On the reverse side, we see the mausoleum of the poet and diplomat Molla Panah (named Vaqif), the 'learned one'. His mausoleum was destroyed in the first Nagorno-Karabakh war, when the city of Shusha was devastated.

Molla Panah Vaqif on stamp

to be continued...

Currency Today : Azerbaijan 5

The fourth banknote in the current series of Azerbaijan is 20 manat.
On both, old and new design, we see a helmet, a sword and a shield. These are 3 symbols of the Nagorno-Karabakh army/region.
Under Russian influence (till 1991), the Nagorno-Karabakh region was more or less an autonomous region. The name of this area is actually the Russian name, meaning 'upper Karabakh'. In the area, people speak of Artsakh, wich is the Armenian (and historical) name.

Flag of Artsakh / Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh is an enclave of Armenian people, within the country of Azerbaijan.
After several wars and incidents in 1994 and 2020, the area was internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan.

Map of Nagorno-Karabakh (source: Wikipedia)

Within the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, there are also 4 micro enclaves of by Azerbaijan governed places. The fact that the (former) republic of Artsakh is completely surrounded by Azerbaijan, made it hard to survive their own culture and language. Schooling, television, art and language was suppressed by the Azerbaijan rulers. The peace treaty of 2020 made it possible to have a protected corridor from Nagorno-Karabakh, to the Armenian border. The road between Lachin (AZ) and Tegh (AM) is the only 'life line' between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

Nagorno-Karabakh uses the internet code .am. They even have their own Nagorno-Karabakh money, but more commenly used is the Amenian money.

Nagorno-Karabakh note front

Nagorno-Karabakh note back

Now back to the 20 manat note from Azerbaijan:
The old style note has the gap in the boder frame - mind the gap becoming wider with each note.
The new style note, now has 7 lines (/).

20 manat - old style

20 manat - new style

In accordance with the logic of the previous notes, the fourth coin depics the same image as the 4th note:

10 qəpik coin, with helmet

to be continued...