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2000 Piastres Siege of Khartoum
| Issuer | General Charles George Gordon (Governor-General of the Sudan) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1884 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Plain cream paper note of austere emergency issue format, enclosed within a simple ruled rectangular border. The denomination is inscribed in Arabic script within a pointed cartouche at the top, below which appears a small oval serial number box. The body of the note carries handwritten Arabic text setting out the promise of payment, dated April 1884, with the manuscript signature of Gordon Pasha alongside two circular official green ink seals of the Government of Sudan. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is entirely unprinted, displaying the plain cream-coloured paper surface with no text, vignette, or decorative elements, consistent with the emergency hand-issued nature of this siege note. |
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| Comments |
Gordon issued these siege notes in 1884 after Egyptian forces under his command were cut off in Khartoum by the Mahdist siege that began in March of that year. With no external supply lines and no way to import currency, Gordon authorized emergency paper denominations backed by nothing but his personal authority and the promise of later redemption by the Egyptian government — a promise that was never honored for most holders.
Gordon signed each note individually. He was killed when Khartoum fell on 26 January 1885, two days before the British relief expedition arrived.