Syria's central bank governor Abdelkader Husrieh announced on Wednesday that new banknotes issued in the country will include braille markings.
Braille is a universal system of raised dots that enables people with visual impairments to read using touch. Incorporating the markings on Syrian notes will allow the visually impaired to “easily and independently identify different currency denominations", the governor said, according to Syria's state news agency Sana.
He described the move as a “long-awaited humanitarian step” that came after an appeal for greater accessibility by residents with visual impairments. Syria joins a small but growing number of countries in the Middle East, including the UAE and Egypt, that have introduced braille or tactile markings on banknotes.
Developed in the 19th century by the French educator Louis Braille, the braille system uses arrangements of raised dots to represent letters, numbers and symbols. Readers run their fingertips across the patterns to interpret the text.
Last week, the Central Bank of Syria said it would introduce a series of new banknotes in six denominations with no images or symbols. The redesign aims to "modernise the national currency and improve transparency", the governor said.
Plans for a currency overhaul were first revealed in August. The country said it would issue new notes and remove two zeroes from its currency in an attempt to restore confidence in the severely devalued Syrian pound.
The step was intended to strengthen the pound after its purchasing power collapsed to record lows after a 14-year civil war that ended with former leader Bashar Al Assad's downfall in December.
The currency revamp carries symbolic weight, signalling a break from more than five decades of Assad family rule. The former leader's face appears on the current, purple 2,000 pound note, while his father, Hafez Al Assad, features on the green 1,000 pound note.
The new banknotes will reportedly start circulating on December 8, the first anniversary of the toppling of Mr Al Assad.
