Sudanese Dinar
The Sudanese dinar was Sudan’s national currency during the 1992–2007 monetary period, introduced at ten old pounds to one dinar and later replaced by the restored Sudanese pound at one pound to one hundred dinars.
Quick Facts
Country: Sudan
Code: SDD
Symbol: SDD
System: Decimal (1 Dinar = 100 Piastres)
Status: Withdrawn
Issuer: Central Bank of Sudan
The Story of the Sudanese Dinar
The Sudanese dinar entered circulation on 8 June 1992 as part of a redenomination that set one dinar equal to ten Sudanese pounds of the preceding system. The currency remained divided into 100 piastres, preserving a decimal structure while changing the principal monetary unit.
The first dinar family developed in stages. The 25- and 50-dinar notes are dated 1992, followed by 5- and 10-dinar issues dated 1993 and higher denominations as inflation increased the need for larger face values. Early notes were printed by De La Rue, while Sudan Currency Printing Press, established in 1994, became an important domestic producer.
By the late 1990s and early 2000s the series had expanded through 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 dinars. This progression records both rising nominal values and a shift toward more complex security printing, including locally produced issues and high-denomination notes supplied by Giesecke+Devrient.
Sudan returned to the pound in 2007 under the post–Comprehensive Peace Agreement currency programme. The new pound was introduced at one pound to 100 dinars; the two currencies circulated side by side during the transition while dinar notes were progressively withdrawn from the banking system.
Design & Symbolism
The early dinar series uses a strongly institutional visual language. The Presidential Palace in Khartoum appears repeatedly on the obverse, often paired with a tree or architectural details, while the Masjid Al-Nilin in Omdurman serves as the recurring watermark on much of the family.
Reverse designs broaden the series beyond government architecture. Millet and sunflower fields, the Masjid Al-Nilin, Arabesque ornament, Parliament House, communications infrastructure, oil production and agricultural subjects document the economic and civic imagery used across denominations.
The 2,000- and 5,000-dinar notes mark a technical and thematic high point. The 2,000-dinar issue combines oil, a dam and refinery equipment with a copper LEAD holographic stripe, which The Banknote Book identifies as the first use of this feature on a banknote. The 5,000-dinar note adds a Nubian pyramid at Meroe, crops, cultural artifacts and river transport.
Attribution depends on production details as much as imagery. Artist-name varieties on early 25-, 50- and 100-dinar notes, changes from solid to windowed security threads, serial-number formats, replacement prefixes and printer changes can separate notes that otherwise share the same basic design.
For collectors
The Sudanese dinar should be kept separate from both the pre-1992 Sudanese pound and the pound introduced in 2007. The conversion ratios define clear monetary boundaries even though some imagery and institutional references continued across adjacent periods.
The 25- and 50-dinar families are particularly useful for variety study because they bridge early De La Rue production and later Sudan Currency Printing Press issues. The presence or absence of the artist name DOSOUGI, security-thread type and serial-number structure provide reliable catalogue distinctions.
Higher denominations add further production depth. The 100-, 200-, 500- and 1,000-dinar notes occur with changes in thread width, planchettes, serial formats and governor signatures, while replacement prefixes create an additional specialist layer.
The 2,000- and 5,000-dinar issues are key endpoints of the series because they combine late-period high denominations with advanced security features and distinctive national imagery. Exact Pick number, date, printer, signature and security-thread variety should be recorded together rather than relying on denomination alone.
Introduced on 8 June 1992 at SDD 1 = 10 old Sudanese pounds; replaced in 2007 at SDG 1 = SDD 100.
