The Moroccan dirham is Morocco’s official currency, and its name comes from the ancient silver coin called the dirham.
Morocco introduced the modern dirham in 1960, replacing the Moroccan franc as the country’s principal currency. The word ultimately derives from the Greek drachma and passed through historical Arabic and Islamic monetary traditions.
Bank Al-Maghrib, Morocco’s central bank, issues the dirham. It is divided into 100 centimes, the French-derived term used for the currency’s smaller units. Moroccan banknotes and coins commonly display Arabic script and the Tifinagh script used for Amazigh, alongside Western numerals.
The Moroccan dirham is distinct from the United Arab Emirates dirham, even though both currencies share the same historical name. They have separate central banks, different ISO codes, and independent exchange rates.