The lira (, plural: ''lire'', abbreviation: MAL), officially known as the Military Authority Lira, was the currency of the British zone of occupation (later Mandate Territory) in

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

between 1943 and 1951, and of the province of

Tripolitania Tripolitania (), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province of Libya. The region had been settled since antiquity, first coming to prominence as part of the Carthaginian empire. Following the defeat ...

until early 1952. It was issued by the ''Military Authority in

'' and circulated together with the

Italian lira The lira ( , ; : lire, , ) was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. It was introduced by the Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic), Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1807 at par with the French franc, and was subsequently adopted by the different s ...

at par. This situation reflected that of Italy, where the AM-lira was minted by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The Tripolitanian and the Italian lira were replaced in early 1952 by the

Libyan pound The Libyan pound (Arabic جنيه, ''junieh''; sign: £L) was the currency of Libya between 1951 and 1971. It was divided into 100 piastres (قرش, qirsh) and 1000 milliemes (مليم). History When Libya was a part of the Ottom ...

at a rate of £L1 = 480 MAL.Libya: Kingdom regional issues (1951-1969).
Revenue Reverend, 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2014.

Paper money

No coins were issued for this currency, with old Italian coins still circulating, although heavily devalued. The 50 centesimo piece for example was worth just a quarter of a penny. Notes were issued in denominations of 1 lira and 2, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 lire. Stamp UK Tripolitania 1950 10mal.jpg, 1950 Tripolitanian stamp denominated "10 M.A.L." Stamp Libya 1951 1MAL.jpg, 1951 Libyan stamp denominated "1 MAL."

References

Modern obsolete currencies History of Tripolitania 1943 establishments in Libya 1951 disestablishments in Libya Currencies of Libya Pound (currency) {{Money-unit-stub