The fals ( ar, فلس, fals, plural ''fulus'') was a medieval copper

coin A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

first produced by the

Umayyad caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...

(661–750) beginning in the late 7th century. The name of the coin is derived from the ''

follis The follis (plural ''folles''; it, follaro, ar, فلس, Fels) was a type of coin in the Roman and Byzantine traditions. Roman coin In the past, the term ''follis'' was used to describe a large bronze Roman coin introduced in about 294 (the a ...

'', a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

and later

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

copper coin. The fals usually featured ornate

Arabic script The Arabic script is the writing system used for Arabic and several other languages of Asia and Africa. It is the second-most widely used writing system in the world by number of countries using it or a script directly derived from it, and the ...

on both sides. Various copper fals were produced until the 19th century. Their weight varied, from one gram to ten grams or more. The term is still used in modern spoken Arabic for money, but pronounced 'fils'. It is also absorbed into

Malay language Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Rejang script, Rencong: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spo ...

through the word ''fulus'' .

In popular culture

* The Malay derivant ''fulus'' was used as basis for naming the fictional setting of Metrofulus in the 2006 Malaysian superhero film ''

Cicakman ''Cicak Man'' (pronounced , Malay: Gecko-Man) is a 2006 Malaysian comedy-superhero film. Directed by KRU member Yusry Abdul Halim, it is the first Malaysian film of this genre, and features almost 40% CGI footage. Comedian Saiful Apek stars ...

''.

References

{{Islamic banking and finance Coins Coins of the medieval Islamic world Umayyad Caliphate Numismatics Islamic banking Islamic banking and finance terminology

In popular culture

See also

References