NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has celebrated National Tenge Day Nov.15 to commemorate the date when the first Kazakh tenge came into circulation in 1993.
The first series of banknotes featured the portraits of the prominent Kazakh people.
The name tenge comes from the medieval Turkic silver coins named denge or tanga.
The first banknotes were printed in the U.K. The design of the first series was created by hand using pencil, watercolor and tempera.
After the opening of its own banknote factory in 1995, all tenge banknotes are issued in Kazakhstan.
The first series of banknotes were dedicated to the prominent Kazakh people. The series of portraits included medieval philosopher and scientist Abu Nasr Al-Farabi (one tenge), Kazakh akyn (poet) Suyunbai Aronuly (three tenge), Kazakh composer Kurmangazy Sagyrbayuly (five tenge), Kazakh scholar, ethnographer and historian Chokan Valikhanov (10 tenge), poet and philosopher Abai Kunanbayev (20 tenge), Khan (Ruler) of the Uzbek Khanate Abul Khair Khan (50 tenge) and Khan of the Kazakh Khanate Abylai Khan (100 tenge).
On Dec.1, 2015, a 20,000 tenge banknote dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the introduction of the national currency was put into circulation.
A 20,000 tenge banknote dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the introduction of tenge.
The pictures of the Kazakh Eli (The state of the Kazakh people) monument and the Mangilik El (Immortal state) triumphal arch are featured on the front side of the banknote. The buildings of Akorda Presidential palace, Parliament and government are featured on the back side of the banknote.
The Kazakh banknotes have 18 degrees of protection.
“We should ensure the protection of our banknotes using modern technologies. We modernized the banknote factory when we introduced the latest security elements. This makes the tenge one of the most secure banknotes,” Head of National Bank Cash Circulation Department Zhomart Kazhmuratov told the Khabar TV Channel.
Kazhmuratov noted that creating banknotes and coins is a difficult process. The size of the banknotes does not allow for complex designs. At the same time, banknotes represent both cultural and governmental and economic value.
The Tenge banknote has been named one of the world’s most beautiful currencies three times. The International Bank Note Society named Banknote of 2011 the commemorative 10,000 tenge banknote devoted to the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence. The same award was given to the 5,000 tenge banknote of the Kazakh Eli series in 2012 and the 1,000 tenge banknote devoted to the Turkic writer Kultegіn became the Banknote of the Year in 2014.
