Morocco is only one of the two countries to call its currency dirham. The UAE Dirham was established in 1971 as an official national currency and is used only in the United Arab Emirates. 1 Dirham is divided into 100 Fils.
The UAE Dirham is tied to the US Dollar with a fixed exchange rate. Therefore, 1 Dirham always equals to 0.2723 US Dollar.
The word “dirham” ultimately comes from drachma the Greek coin. The Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire controlled the Levant and traded with Arabia. It was this currency which was initially adopted as a Persian word (Middle Persian drahm or dram). The “dirham” was the coin of the Persians. The dirham was struck in many Mediterranean countries, including Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain) and the Byzantine Empire (miliaresion), and could be used as currency in Europe between the 10th and 12th centuries, notably in areas with Viking connections, such as Viking York.
In the late Ottoman Empire the standard dirham was 3.207 g; 400 dirhem equal one oka. The Ottoman dirham was based on the Sasanian drachm (in Middle Persian: drahm), which was itself based on the Roman dram/drachm.
In Egypt in 1895, it was equivalent to 47.661 troy grains (3.088 g).
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