Tunisia features country’s first female doctor on new bank notes in honor of late physician

The Central Bank of Tunisia has unveiled new banknotes  designed in honor of the country‘s first female doctor, Tewhida ben Sheikh.

In a statement released by Tunisia’s apex bank, Central Bank of Tunisia Thursday March 26, the bank disclosed that the new 10 Tunisian dinar note would feature female doctor Tewhida ben Sheikh, the first woman to make it onto the country’s currency.

Ben Sheikh was born on January 2nd, 1909 and died on December 6th, 2010. She was the first modern Muslim woman to become a physician in North Africa in the 20th century and is particularly renowned for her work in women’s health and specialization in gynaecology.

In 1928, she became the first woman to attain an advance school in baccalaureate. She was specialized in gynecology, leading campaigns around access to contraception and abortion which precipitated the legalization of abortion in 1965.

The Country’s CBN new note went into circulation on Friday, 27th March, as legal tender. The institution further announced that it would circulate alongside the country’s other currency.

Tunisia currently uses coins and banknotes. The dinar is subdivided into 1,000 milim or millimes. There are coins of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 500 millimes and 1, 5 and 10 dinars in circulation. As regards banknotes there are 5, 10, 20 and 50 dinars.

The statement further reads that the new note has several security features, including: A circle on the upper left corner containing the number 10 that changes color depending on the angle of view; A watermark through the image of Ben Sheikh and the number 10 that can be seen when looking at the note through light; Micro-text printing of “DIX DINARS” below the portrait of Ben Sheikh and in other places; A windowed security thread that appears continuous when looked at over a light, but discontinuous otherwise.

According to the Global Exchange website, in 1958, the dina currency was set out as the new currency in Tunisia, although it was not used until 1960. Until that time, the official currency had been the franc and the equivalence to the new currency was of 1,000 francs to 1 dinar.

The Tunisian dinar is usually abbreviated DT, although the word “dinar” placed after the number is also accepted. While importing and exporting dinars is forbidden in Tunisia. Every year, each Tunisian is allowed to trade up to 6,000 dinars in foreign currency before leaving the country.