The Tunisian coast was colonized by Phoenician traders in ancient times, and the city of Carthage became the center of a great maritime empire. The first Carthiginian coins were issued in the late fifth century BC and were modeled after silver tetradrachms. Carthage later issued coins of gold and electrum.
Carthage was destroyed by Rome in 146 BC. The area became part of the Roman province of Africa and Roman denarii became the principal coins. The Vandals ruled Carthage from 439 to 534 and issued small silver coins imitating those of Rome. Byzantium ruled Carthage from 534 until 698 and a large number of gold, silver and copper coins were issued under the Byzantines.
Islamic armies conquered Tunisia in the seventh century and Islamic coins were being issued by 698. At first, these coins imitated Byzantine coins, but by 715 they had become purely inscriptional. There was little change in the coins minted under the Aghlabids in the ninth century, the Fatimids in the tenth century and the Zirids in the eleventh century. The Al-Muwahhids produced broad, thin gold coins slightly different from their predecessors and the Hafsid, who succeeded them in 1252 produced similar coins.
Tunis was a battleground between the Ottomans and Europeans between 1534 amd 1574 when the Ottomans finally made Tunisia a province of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans issued gold, base-silver and bronze coins with Turkish designs for the next 300 years. The Tunisian Regency was set up on July 15, 1705. Under the Ottoman Empire, the Piastre existed as both a Unit of Account (TNA) and as specie money (TNP). The Piastre was divisible into 16 Kharub, 40 paras or 52 Aspers. Burbe (13 Burbe equal to 1 Kharub) and Burben (6 Burben equal to 1 Burbe) were further subsidiary coinage.
Tunisia became a French protectorate by treaty on May 12, 1881. The French protectorate was terminated, and Tunisia became independent on March 20, 1956.
The Ottoman monetary system was used until July 1, 1891 when the Decree of Bey made the Franc the official monetary unit of Tunisia. The French Franc had been introduced in Tunisia in 1881. Franc banknotes were issued by the Banque de l.Algerie (with a "Tunisie" overprint, and by the Banque de l'Algerie et de la Tunisie from January 12, 1949) for circulation in Tunisia. Tunisia was part of the Allied monetary zone from June 1943 until December 6, 1944, with 1 Pound Sterling equal to 4 US Dollars or 200 Tunisian Francs.
The Tunisian Dinar (TND) replaced the Tunisia Franc on November 1, 1958 with 1 Dinar equal to 1000 French Francs. The Franc was divisible into 100 Centimes until 1958 and 1000 Millimes since then. The Banque Centrale de Tunisie is the sole banknote issuing authority. | 
