ON the occasion of the 114th anniversary of issuing the first one Egyptian Pound banknote in 1899, artist Ahmed Biro is holding an exhibition entitled 'The Story of the Egyptian Pound'. His unique exhibition comprises paintings on wood, 201 x 202 cm, depicting the Egyptian Pound. "I would like to support the Egyptian economy and tourism through the touristic places and monuments which appear on this paper currency, especially when tourists keep the Egyptian banknotes as a souvenir," said Biro. "I want to revive the note of Egyptian Pound after it was replaced by a metal coin in 2005 and started to fall into disuse from 2012," he regretted. His exhibition features 20 paintings of the forms of the Egyptian Pound from its first date of issue to its last. The banknote's illustrations include the gate of Khonso Temple in Karnak, the Temple of the goddess Isis in Philae, Abu Simbel Temple in Nubia, the Sphinx, Qalaqun Mosque in Cairo and other touristic places with captions about the history of these places. Biro also called for establishing a comprehensive national museum for Egyptian coins and banknotes, to be archived according to the date of issue. 'The Story of the Egyptian Pound', is being held at Omlaty (My Currencies) Association, 53 Naguib el-Rihani St., fourth floor, Attaba, downtown Cairo. It is open daily from 4-8pm and runs until Thursday.
