Head of Atatürk left in a circle surrounded by the country name "Republic of Turkey".

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938) was a Turkish army officer, revolutionary, and founder of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President from 1923 until his death in 1938. His surname, Atatürk (meaning "Father of the Turks"), was granted to him in 1934.

Value and date below, Rumi motif, star and crescent (right) above.

The “Rumi”, one of the leading motifs of the Turkish decorative arts, has, since its beginnings, been a basic ornament not only in manuscripts but in all branches of decorative arts: in tile work, clothing, wood carving etc. They developed especially in the hands of the Anatolian Seljuks who made ample use of them. The earliest example of the rumi motif which has come down to our present day is observed on the wing of a sea monster represented on the ornamental frescoes made in 9th-10th centuries by Uygur Turks.

The star and crescent is an iconographic symbol used in various historical contexts but most well known today as a symbol of the former Ottoman Empire and, by popular extension, the Islamic world. The Republic of Turkey has no official national emblem, but the star and crescent (Turkish: ay-yıldız "crescent-star") design from the national flag is in use as de facto emblem, among other things printed on Turkish passports, on Turkish identity cards and diplomatic missions of Turkey.