Turks get another new currency

ISTANBUL – For the second time in four years the Turks have to get used to new money: on the first of January, the ‘yeni Türk lirasi’ (new Turkish lira), which was introduced at 1 January 2005, will be a thing of the past. The word ‘yeni’ will be removed and the notes will have a new look.
The new Turkish lira was introduced four years ago as part of economic reforms in which the currency was also revalued: 1 million Turkish lira became 1 new Turkish lira. The evaluation period of the new currency is now over and the currency gets back its original name.
What is different this time is that the banknotes show not only modern Turkey’s founding father Atatürk (smiling this time), but also six other historically important Turks. One of them is a woman, which has aroused some debate: strong secularists criticised the choice of a Muslim-feminist writer and would have preferred a woman of Atatürk’s time to appear on the fifty lira note.