Obverse. Photo © Coinsberg.com
  • 5 Dinars 2016, KM# 96, Jordan, Abdullah II, 100th Anniversary of the Great Arab Revolt
  • 5 Dinars 2016, KM# 96, Jordan, Abdullah II, 100th Anniversary of the Great Arab Revolt
Description

The Great Arab Revolt (1916–1918) was a major uprising against Ottoman rule in the Arab lands during World War I, led by Sharif Hussein bin Ali of Mecca with support from his sons, notably Faisal and Abdullah. Backed by the British—most famously represented by T.E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia")—the revolt aimed to establish an independent Arab state stretching from Syria to Yemen. Arab forces used guerrilla tactics and strategic sabotage, such as attacking the Hejaz Railway, to weaken Ottoman control. Though the revolt contributed to the eventual defeat of the Ottoman Empire, postwar colonial agreements like the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration dashed hopes for full Arab independence, leaving a legacy of mistrust and reshaped Middle Eastern borders.

Obverse

Depicts a bust of Sherif Hussein bin Ali facing, full beard wearing a traditional Arabic headdress and a turban in the central field, denomination in Arabic and English at the right, both are printed on separate lines, framed by a circle surrounded by a text of event above and dates year of initiation and year of issue below.

Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi (1853–1931) was the Sharif and Emir of Mecca and later proclaimed King of the Hejaz. A member of the Hashemite family, claiming descent from the Prophet Muhammad, he played a pivotal role during World War I by leading the Great Arab Revolt (1916–1918) against the Ottoman Empire. Motivated by both the desire for Arab independence and British promises of postwar sovereignty, Hussein sought to establish a unified Arab kingdom. In 1916, he declared himself "King of the Arab Countries," though international recognition was limited and short-lived. After World War I, tensions with the newly founded Kingdom of Saudi Arabia escalated, and in 1924 Hussein was forced to abdicate when Ibn Saud’s forces conquered the Hejaz. He lived his final years in exile in Amman, where his sons, Abdullah and Faisal, would later become kings of Jordan and Iraq respectively, shaping the modern Hashemite dynasties.

مائة عام على قيام الثورة العربية الكبرى
٥ دنانير
5 Dinars
1916 - 2016

Reverse

Depicts three armored Jordanian warriors riding horses across a battlefield, the middle one holding Jordan's colored flag. The landscape features open fields and mountains in the background, giving a sense of Jordanian desert nature surrounded by inscriptions of the event in English.

The flag of Jordan, officially adopted on 16 April 1928, is based on the 1916 flag of the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The flag consists of horizontal black, white, and green bands that are connected by a red chevron. The colors are the pan-Arab colors, representing the Abbasid (black band), Umayyad (white band), and Fatimid or Rashidun caliphates (green band). The red chevron represents the Hashemite dynasty, and the Arab Revolt.

100th ANNIVERSARY OF
THE GREAT ARAB REVOLT

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Bronze
Weight 28.28 g
Diameter 38.61 mm
Thickness 3.42 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal

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