Afghanistan has a long history of using paper notes as a form of currency. The first banknotes in Afghanistan were introduced in the late 19th century during the reign of Amir Abdul Rahman Khan. These notes were printed in Europe and were denominated in rupees and annas, which were the currency used in British India.
After Afghanistan gained independence in 1919, it began issuing its own banknotes. The first Afghan banknotes were issued in 1926 by the Bank-i-Millie Afghanistan, the country's central bank. These notes featured the image of King Amanullah Khan, who was the ruler of Afghanistan at the time.
Over the years, Afghanistan has issued various series of banknotes with different designs and denominations. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Afghan government issued banknotes featuring images of historical and cultural sites and portraits of prominent Afghan figures.
During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, the Afghan currency underwent a significant change. The Soviet-backed government introduced new banknotes with images of Soviet leaders and socialist symbols, and the currency was revalued.
After the fall of the Soviet-backed government in 1992, Afghanistan descended into civil war, and various factions issued their own banknotes. This led to a situation where multiple currencies were in circulation, causing confusion and economic instability.
In 2002, after the fall of the Taliban regime, the Afghan government introduced a new series of banknotes to replace the multiple currencies in circulation. These new banknotes featured images of historic and cultural sites and portraits of prominent Afghan figures. The banknotes were printed by the German company Giesecke+Devrient and have denominations ranging from 1 Afghani to 1000 Afghani. Since then, the Afghan government has issued new banknotes with enhanced security features to prevent counterfeiting.
