Turkey has been a candidate for membership in the European Union for many years, but due to the crisis and fears for the stability of the economy, accession to it, as well as the introduction of a single currency in the country, has been postponed indefinitely. And until the euro is officially accepted for payment for goods and services, the Turkish lira remains the national currency in the country.
Turkish lira
In Turkish, the name of the national currency is written Türk Lirası. It is clear that the name comes from another monetary unit - the lira; such coins were in circulation from the middle of the Middle Ages to the end of the last century in many countries, in particular in Italy, Syria, and Lebanon.
As for Turkey, it is worth noting that during the period of the Ottoman Empire and up to the Russian-Turkish War, coins and banknotes of all countries conquered by the Ottomans were in circulation on its territory. But due to inflation, constant wars leading to a constant decrease in the content of the precious metal in coins, in the middle of the 19th century, the question of introducing a single currency for the Ottoman state arose. The Turkish lira became the official monetary unit, the name, apparently, was chosen as opposed to the British pound.
Islam is very wary of various monetary transactions, so for a long time the Ottoman Empire did not have its own bank, and the introduction of state bills was organized through the Greeks and Jews.
Modern lyre
The modern Turkish lira is issued in the form of banknotes and has denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200. The bargaining chip is a kurush, 1 lira is equal to 100 kurus. It is interesting that in the Ottoman Empire this word was used for all European money without exception. Etymologists believe that the word "kurush" has a common origin with the Russian "grosh".
It is worth noting that until 2005 there was an even smaller coin in Turkey - a pair. One kurush at that time was equal to 400 pairs. Currently, this coin has been abolished, and the Turkish lira has the international designation TRY. Its rate is set by the Central Bank of Russia on a daily basis and is approximately 15 rubles at the beginning of 2014.
Russian tourists visiting Turkey in recent years did not even notice that during this period a large-scale monetary reform was carried out, and the currency changed its appearance twice, although its name remained the same - Turkish lira.
What currency to take to Turkey
Often before a trip, questions about what currency to take with you are much more relevant than, for example, the choice of clothes or accessories, because in a modern resort you can buy everything, if you have money. In fact, in Turkey in tourist areas, any banknotes and change are accepted - euros, dollars, pounds sterling and rubles. In addition, in most of the shops you can pay with bank cards, so it is not at all necessary to change rubles for Turkish lira in Russia.
But the choice of an intermediary currency is worth considering. Since the Turkish lira does not have an official peg to the euro or the dollar, it is worth tracking the cross rates and thinking about which exchange will be most profitable. If, for example, the rate of the European currency starts to jump up, it is worth buying it, so in Turkey you will be able to get your hands on more local money.
