Obverse. Photo © Katz Auction
  • 500 Afghanis 1995, KM# 1031, Afghanistan, 50th Anniversary of the United Nations
  • 500 Afghanis 1995, KM# 1031, Afghanistan, 50th Anniversary of the United Nations
Description

The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization to promote international co-operation and to create and maintain international order. A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations, the organization was established on 24 October 1945 after World War II in order to prevent another such conflict. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193. The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan, New York City, and experiences extraterritoriality. Further main offices are situated in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states. Its objectives include maintaining international peace and security, promoting human rights, fostering social and economic development, protecting the environment, and providing humanitarian aid in cases of famine, natural disaster, and armed conflict. The UN is the largest, most familiar, most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organisation in the world.

The Islamic State of Afghanistan was established by the Peshawar Accords on April 26, 1992, with the participation of many Afghan mujahideen parties after the fall of the socialist government. However, its power was limited due to the country's second civil war, which the Taliban won, capturing Kabul in 1996. Consequently, the Islamic State became a government in exile and led the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. It remained the internationally recognized government of Afghanistan at the United Nations until 2001. After the overthrow of the first Taliban government, the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan was created, and an Afghan Interim Administration took control with US and NATO assistance. This transitional state later became the Islamic Republic, which lasted until the Taliban regained power in 2021 following a prolonged insurgency.

Obverse

Depicts the coat of arms of the Islamic State of Afghanistan within two crossed swords the country name above and the denomination below in English.

The Emblem of the Islamic State of Afghanistan (1992-1996) features the shahada inscription in Arabic at the top. Below this is an image of a mosque with a mihrab and minbar (pulpit). On either side of the mosque are two flags representing Afghanistan, surrounded by wheat sheaves. Beneath the mosque, there is an inscription stating the name of the nation, and below that, the Hijri year 1371 (corresponding to 1992 in the Gregorian calendar), marking the establishment of the Islamic State of Afghanistan.

ISLAMIC STATE OF AFGHANISTAN
لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله
الله اكبر
۱۳٧۱
د افغانستان اسلامي دولت
500
AFGHANIS

Reverse

Depicts a sitting boy wearing a traditional dress playing with three pigeons, the 50th-anniversary symbol of the United Nations, surrounded by the inscription above, date and denomination in English below.

The emblem of the United Nations Organization depicts a map of the world representing an azimuthal equidistant projection centred on the North Pole, inscribed in a wreath consisting of crossed conventionalized branches of the olive tree. The projection of the map extends to 60 degrees south latitude, and includes five concentric circles. The olive branches are a symbol for peace, and the world map represents all the people and the countries of the world.

The perahan tunban is the standard traditional uniform dress for men, consisting of a tunic shirt, pants, and with (optional) head covering. This dress originates from the ancient nomadic eastern Iranians, ancestors to both Tajiks and Pashtuns, and its use remains traditional amongst people in Afghanistan.

NATIONS UNITED FOR PEACE
50
1945
1995

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Cupronickel
Weight 28.68 g
Diameter 38.61 mm
Thickness 3.05 mm
Shape round
Alignment Coin

Related coins

Islamic State

50th Anniversary of the United Nations

Cupronickel, 28.68 g, ⌀ 3861 mm
State

50th Anniversary of the United Nations

Silver, 28.28 g, ⌀ 38.61 mm

50th Anniversary of the United Nations

Cupronickel, 28.4 g, ⌀ 38.61 mm