Historically , the word `` dirham '' is derived from the name of a Greek coin , the Drachma ( δραχμή ) ; the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire controlled the Levant and traded with Arabia , circulating the coin there in pre-Islamic times and afterward .
Dirham is a unit of currency in several Arabic-speaking nations , including : Historically , the word `` dirham '' is comes from ` dirhem ' which comes from the name of a Greek coin , the Drachm ; the Byzantine Empire controlled the Levant and traded with Arabia , circulating the coin there in pre-Islamic times and afterward .