  Through the pagination of an Arabian Algerian manuscript of the beginning of
the 19th century, we rediscover the original shape, the "Ghubari" shape, of the
numerals. Contrary to some assumptions, particularly those which claim that
they are derived from Indian characters, this "Ghubari" shape, whose use has
completely disappeared, shows that the ten modern numerals derive from ten
Arabic letters. The symbol of a "Ghubari" numeral corresponds to the Arabic
letter whose "Abjadi" numerical value is equal to this numeral. The assumption
of the Indian origin of the numerals is denied by the shape of the numerals and
by the right left sociological logic of the representation of the numerals and
the algorithms of the basic operations. The numerals are born in Maghreb or in
Spain. In Europe, the "Ghubari" numerals became the modern numerals: 0, 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and in the Middle East, borrowing two Hebrew letters, they
gave the "Mashriki" numerals: &#1776; &#1777; &#1778; &#1779; &#1641; &#1640;
&#1639; &#1638; &#1637; &#1636; .
