Politician and revolutionary Saddam Hussein was Iraq’s fifth president, serving from 1979 until 2003. He also served as the country’s Prime Minister and was a leading member of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party. Before he formally became the president of Iraq, he was appointed vice president by ailing president Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr. Saddam eventually became the de facto leader when Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr could no longer do his duties.
On December 30, 2006, the former president was executed for his brutal crimes, having murdered a million of his own people.
Saddam Hussein’s portrait first appeared on the 25 Iraqi dinar banknote issued in 1986 as part of the Swiss Dinar Series. Along with the president’s picture, the note’s obverse displays a charging horseman with swords, spears, and banners. Prominent on the reverse design of the note is the al-Shaheed Monument which is also known as the Martyrs’ Memorial.
Designed by Ismail Fatah Al Turk, the al-Shaheed monument erected when Saddam Hussein was spending a huge amount of money on statues and monuments. The monument is dedicated to those who died in the Iran-Iraq War that began with Iraq, under Saddam Hussein’s leadership, invaded Iran. The monument also commemorates Saddam Hussein’s reputation as a powerful leader.
The former president is also featured on the obverse of the notes issued between 1990 and October 2003, such as on the 1991 version of the 100-dinar. The reverse of the 100-dinar note depicts the Hands of Victory which is also known as the Victory Arch. This pair of triumphal arches is a concept sketch by Saddam Hussein.
This album consists of 7 banknotes and 2 coins issued during Saddam Hussein’s regime. The coins were in circulation from 1969 until 1981, featuring date palms. The banknotes, on the other hand, were introduced between 1986 and 2002 and depict the president on their obverse design.
