Tunisia just went down in Arab history as the first country to issue a banknote in honour of the country’s first female doctor - Tawhida Ben Cheikh.

The ten dinar note - a legal tender (which means it’s a form of currency accepted by law) - is dedicated to Ben Cheikh, who was reportedly the first woman to practice modern medicine in the MENA region.

After being the first girl to pass the Tunisian baccalaureate in 1928, she went on to graduate from The Paris School of Medicine, to later become the country's first female physician and a pioneer in women’s medicine.

 Ben Cheikh during an awareness campaign on family planning in Tunisia.

In 1973, she founded the country’s first family planning clinic, and became one of the most active voices in support of family planning and abortion access, even instructing doctors in abortion procedures.

Ben Cheikh is the first female doctor to appear on a Tunisian banknote, but not the first woman. The ten dinar note had also previously featured Queen Elissa - or Dido - who is credited to being the founder and Queen of Carthage, an ancient empire that existed where Tunisia now rests.