Editing Fals

{{About|the coin|other uses|Fals (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Fulus|the modern unit of account|Fils (currency)}}
{{Short description|Medieval copper coin issued by the Umayyad caliphate}}
[[Image:Umayyads - fals of Damascus.jpg|thumb|300px|right|A fals minted in Damascus between 696 and 750]]
[[Image:Abbasid copper coin from Jerusalem, AH 219.jpg|thumb|300px|Fals of [[al-Ma'mun]], [[Anno hegirae|AH]] 219 (834/5 CE), al-Quds ([[Jerusalem]]). Under the Umayyads Jerusalem was known by its Roman name Iliya Filastin ("Aelia Palaestina"), but from the time of Caliph al-Ma'mun, it was given the Islamic religious name al-Quds (meaning «holiness» or «sanctity»).]]
[[Image:MansurISamanidCoinHistoryofIran.jpg|thumb|300px|Fals of [[Mansur ibn Nuh]], minted in [[Bukhara]], AH&nbsp;353 (964 CE), commemorating the Abbasid caliph [[al-Muti]]]]
The '''fals''' ({{Plural abbr|'''''fulus'''''}}; {{langx|ar|فلس}}) was a medieval copper [[coin]] first produced by the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] (661–750) beginning in the late 7th century. The name of the coin is derived from the ''[[follis]]'', a [[Roman coinage|Roman]] and later [[Byzantine coinage|Byzantine]] copper coin.<ref>{{cite book |title=Urban network evolutions : towards a high-definition archaeology |date=31 December 2018 |publisher=Aarhus University Press |location=Aarhus |isbn=9788771846386 |page=118}}</ref> As common with most [[Islamic coinage]], the fals was aniconic and usually featured ornate [[Arabic script]] on both sides. Various copper fals were produced until the 19th century. Their weight varied, from one gram to ten grams or more.

The term is still used in modern spoken Arabic for money, but pronounced 'fils'.<ref>Stephen Album, ''Checklist of Islamic Coins'', Santa Rosa, CA, 2011, third edition, p. 7</ref> The plural form ''fulus'' فلوس is used in contemporary dialects of Arabic (e.g. Egyptian, Iraqi) as a general term for "money". The French term ''flouze'' is borrowed from Arabic. It is also absorbed into [[Malay language]] through the word ''fulus'' {{lang|ar|فولوس}}.<ref>{{Cite dictionary|last=|first=|date=|title=fulus|url=http://prpm.dbp.gov.my/cari1?keyword=fulus|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=6 September 2020|website=|publisher=Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia|via=Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu|edition=4th|dictionary=Kamus Dewan}}</ref>

==In popular culture==

* The Malay derivant ''fulus'' was used as basis for naming the fictional setting of Metrofulus in the 2006 Malaysian superhero film ''[[Cicakman]]''.

==See also==
{{Portal|Money|Numismatics}}
Daughter currencies:
*[[Fils (currency)|Fils]], a subdivision of the dinar, dirham or rial
*[[Falus]], coin of Morocco (1672–1901)

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Islamic banking and finance}}
[[Category:Coins]]
[[Category:Coins of the medieval Islamic world]]
[[Category:Umayyad Caliphate]]
[[Category:Islamic banking]]
[[Category:Islamic banking and finance terminology]]