Akçe

The akçe or akça (anglicized as akche, akcheh or aqcha; ; , , known in Europe as asper) was a silver coin which was the chief monetary unit of the Ottoman Empire. It was also used in other states including the Anatolian Beyliks, the Aq Qoyunlu, and the Crimean Khanate. The basic meaning of the word is "silver" or "silver money", deriving from the Turkish word () and the diminutive suffix .

Cost Three s were equal to one . One-hundred and twenty s equalled one . Later after 1687 the became the main unit of account, replacing the . In 1843, the silver was joined by the gold lira in a bimetallic system.Sevket Pamuk, A Monetary History of the Ottoman Empire, Cambridge University Press, 2000, Its weight fluctuated; one source estimates it between 1.15 and 1.18 grams. The name originally referred to a silver coin but later the meaning changed and it became a synonym for money. History

The mint in Novo Brdo, a fortified mining town in the Serbian Despotate rich with gold and silver mines, began to strike in 1441 when it was captured by the Ottoman forces for the first time.

The Suleiman Mosque in Istanbul is said to have cost 59 million akçe when it was constructed in the 1550s. This amount is said to have equalled 700,000 ducats in gold (probably Venetian).

Debasement Silver content and index in an Ottoman . Year Silver (g) Index 1450–60 0.85 100 1490–1500 0.68 80 16000.29 34 1700 0.13 15 1800 0.048 6

Value compared to the gold ducat of Venice by years:

Year Ottoman akçes 1431 35 1475 45 1491 52 1547 60 1585 110 1645 160 1659 220 1660 300 1721 375 1728 400 1737 440

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