RIYADH: The Kingdom’s newly designed currency will go into circulation on Dec. 26 in denominations of SR500, SR100, SR50, SR10 and SR5 with coins of different values including SR2 and SR1.
The new bills commemorating the era of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman represent the sixth issue of Saudi banknotes and coins, which were launched on Tuesday night.
“The new banknotes and coins will be officially circulated by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) alongside existing banknotes and coins,” said Ahmed Alkholifey, SAMA governor, while speaking on the occasion of the release of the new legal tender on Tuesday.
Alkholifey said the issuance of the currency represents a bright picture of the economic development realized in different periods of the nation’s history.
The new bills have machine-readable security features to ensure the safety and authenticity of the currency and to safeguard it from forgery.
Alkholifey said that coins will gradually replace paper-based riyals because coin-based riyals have added advantages. In fact, “the life span of coins is estimated between 20 and 25 years compared to 12 to 18 months for paper banknotes based on conditions of their circulation,” said the SAMA chief.
The coin of SR1 has a silver picture of King Salman. On top of the coin, the Hijri year (1438) is written, while in the bottom the Gregorian year 2016 is written. The third coin of 50 halalas have also its value written in English and Arabic. The coin of 25 halalas, like other coins, the title of the king — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques — is written with Arabic and English pointers for values.
The 10 halala coin has the Kingdom’s emblem above, and the title of Custodian of the Two Mosques is written in Arabic like other coins.
New Saudi currency will go into circulation on Dec. 26
New Saudi currency will go into circulation on Dec. 26
Two Holy Mosques authority launches smart interactive map system
MADINAH: A new smart interactive map system has been inaugurated for the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.
CEO of the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque Ghazi Al-Shahrani said that the smart interactive map facilitated the movement of visitors and worshipers while significantly enhancing navigational efficiency within the two holy mosques. The system is designed to guide visitors along the most suitable routes, support real-time updates, ensure safe navigation and enhance the overall quality of the experience.
Al-Shahrani said that the results achieved were part of the authority’s efforts to advance digital transformation and leverage smart technologies in serving pilgrims. He said that this system was one of dozens launched recently that contributed to generating operational data that supported decision-making, enhanced understanding of challenges and paved the way for developing future digital systems.
Interactive maps are part of a smart digital system that provides real-time spatial guidance, powered by live operational data linked to control rooms. This enables visitors to be directed to the most appropriate routes during closures or congestion, with immediate and accurate updates.
Executive vice president of digital transformation at the authority, Mohammed Al-Saqr, said that the pilot phase of the maps, which began during Ramadan, was integrated with the color coding and metric addressing system, which divided the Two Holy Mosques into clear geographical zones that supported smart operations and activated spatial data as part of an integrated services and analytics ecosystem. He said that this launch represented the first step in a project that would continue to evolve over the coming years, with further development planned through 2026.
Al-Saqr said that the system featured more than 950 points of interest across 13 service categories, supported by more than 650 QR codes for easy access. It could also generate more than 100,000 dynamic routes, automatically optimized in real time based on operational conditions and crowd flow.
Director of business solutions at the authority, Waheeb Al-Mutrafi, said that the maps enabled precise location-based reporting and contributed to accelerating access to electric carts through ticket numbers via a smart platform built on field data verified over several months, enhancing operational efficiency and improving the quality of services provided to worshippers.
