Egypt Stamps and Egypt Postal History

History

Egypt stamp 1926 inauguration of Port Fuad

The first known handstamps from Egypt are those introduced during the Napoleonic period, 1798-1800. The four different single line handstamps known are from "ALEXANDRIE", "LE CAIRE", "BENESOUEF" and "SIOUTH".

The first postal system in Egypt was organised by Carlo Meratti, an Italian, in 1821. The handstamps are inscribed in Italian. In 1842 this service, which was a private enterprise, was named "POSTA EUROPEA". In 1857 it received Government permission to carry on all inland postal services. On 1 January 1865 the Egyptian Government purchased and took control of this service. The service was renamed to "POSTE VICE-REALI EGIZIAN"

The first Egyptian stamps were issued on 1 January 1866. The second issue, in August 1867, depicted the Sphinx and Pyramids. These were the first stamps in the world depicting a historical subject. All Egyptian stamps up to 1914 used the Sphinx and Pyramids in their design.

Egypt joined the UPU in 1875.

British, French, Italian, Austrian, Russian and Greek post offices operated on Egyptian soil, particularly in Alexandria and Port Said.

British troops used special stamps inscribed BRITISH FORCES IN EGYPT or ARMY POST EGYPT

The country name on the stamps of Egypt is shown in Arabic and a second language as shown in the table below:

Turkish	1866-1872
Italian	1872-1879	POSTE KHEDEVIE EGIZIANE
French	1879-1914	POSTES ÉGYPTIENNES
English	1914-1923	EGYPT POSTAGE
French	1925-1956	ROYAUME D' ÉGYPTE POSTES D' ÉGYPTE ÉGYPTE REPUBLIQUE D' ÉGYPTE
English	1956 -	EGYPT UAR A R EGYPT EGYPT

Posta Europea

About 1821 Carlo Meratti opened private post offices in Cairo and Alexandria to deal with ordinary mail for Europe. In 1843 this service became Posta Europea.

On Meratti's death, in 1847, the business was taken over by his nephew, Tito Chini, with Giacomo Muzzi as a partner.

The service was gradually expanded to Kafr El Zahat and Damanhour in 1855; to Tantah, Benha and Birket-el-Sab in 1856.

On 5 March 1862 the Viceroy conferred a monopoly for the posts to Posta Europea for a period of 10 years.

On Chini's death in 1864 Muzzi became sole proprietor. The concession was purchased from him by the Egyptian Government on 2 January 2 1865 and Muzzi was appointed Director-General of the Egyptian Postal Administration. He remained in this post until his resignation in 1876.

Egyptian Post Offices in Foreign Countries

Egypt opened post offices in Sudan, the Turkish Empire and in East Africa. Normal Egyptian stamps were used from these post office, they can only be identified by the cancellation.

SUDAN
Official records show that a total of 27 post offices were opened in Sudan - cancellations are known only from 11 of these. The first office was opened in 1867 and Egyptian stamps were used in Sudan till 1897 when they were replaced by stamps overprinted "SOUDAN".

TURKISH EMPIRE
Twenty post office were opened in the Turkish Empire. The present day location of these post offices is in Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Syria. These operated for only a few years these last one was closed in 1881.

EAST AFRICA
Four post offices were opened in present day Somalia and one in present day Eritrea. The earliest was opened in 1867 and the latest was closed in 1885.

For more details see
Egyptian Post Offices in Foreign Countries
from Stamp Domain

Air Mails from Egypt

The earliest flights from Egypt, which carried mail, were as follows
3 Feb 1914 Cairo - Khartoum
3 Nov 1918 Cairo - Baghdad - Karachi
Dec 1918 Cairo - Delhi
Mar / Apr 1919 Cairo - Port Said - Alexandria
13 Oct 1921 Cairo - Baghdad

Philatelic Societies for Collectors of Egypt Stamps and Egypt Postal History

Egypt Study Circle
Specialist one-country society with six meetings annually, quarterly magazine, two auctions of members' material each year, extensive library, close ties with Cairo colleagues. Annual subscription £20. The Egypt Study Circle was founded in 1935 by the late Dr William Byam and 23 other enthusiastic students of the stamps and postal history of Egypt and the Sudan.

Egypt stamp 1938 King Farouk and Queen Farida

Egypt stamp 1938 King Farouk and Queen Farida

Selected Pages on Egypt Stamps and Egypt Postal History

A Snapshot of Egypt's Postal History
by Samir Raafat
A SIMULTANEOUS need for a courier service was created with the invention of transportable writing materials. In Egypt, where writing had become an institution, Pharaoh's missives had to reach the outer provinces faster and more efficiently. And with the subsequent discovery of papyrus, the development of a postal system was a matter of time.

Introduction to Philately in Egypt
by Samir Amin Fikry
Egypt at the geographic conjunction of East and West and combining the exoticism of the one and the sophistication of the other stands at the heart of the Middle East and is in many ways the most important country on the African continent.

Egypt Postage Stamps
by Nick Blackburn
This site has images of most of the stamps issued by Egypt, with a cross reference of Catalogue Number by Stanley Gibbons, Scott and Balian.
Egypt has produced some of the most appealing and attractive stamps the world has seen. From the early primitivist and symbolic Sphinx and Pyramid series, first released in 1867, through the delightful classic and cartoon-like quality of the 1929 Special Delivery issue, to what must be one of the most striking stamps ever produced, the 1953 E£1 definitive.

Egyptian Newspaper Wrappers
from Stamp Domain
A total of 12 different newspaper wrappers were issued by Egypt. The first ones were issued in 1889 and the last one was issued in 1947.

The Interpostal Seals of Egypt: 1864-1892
A very comprehensive website of the Interpostal Seals of Egypt giving full details of all known types; details of articles, books and write-ups on the subject. Based on the book “The Posta Europa and 1984 Kehr Catalogue of Interpostals” by Ernest A. Kehr & Philip Cockrill published in 1984.

The Kingdom of Egypt 1922-1953
By Panayotis D Cangelaris
A philatelic exhibit - Objective of this exhibit is to show the stamps, varieties (essays, proofs etc.), errors and usages of the principal issues of the Kingdom of Egypt (1922-1953), including rarities once belonging to the Palace Collection. Covers - Proofs and Essays; Definitive Stamps; Commemorative Stamps; Airmail Stamps; Express Mail Stamps; Army Post; Postal Stationery; Official Stamps; Postage Due Stamps

French Post Offices in Egypt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Polish Pocta Polowa Egypt 1946 to Mexico

Polish Pocta Polowa Egypt 1946 to Mexico

Cover, posted 11 October 1946, from Polish Poczta Polowa 102 which was located in Cairo Egypt from 30 April 1942 till 3 January 1947.

Polish Field Post Offices during WW2
from Stamp Domain
Polish Field Post Office during and just after WWII, most of which were based in Egypt at some time or another during their existence.

Mails via the Isthmus of Suez and the contribution of Lieutenant Thomas Waghorn
by Michael Houde
Thomas Fletcher Waghorn was a postal pioneer who developed a new postal route from Great Britain to India. Waghorn's route reduced the journey from 16,000 miles (via the Cape of Good Hope) to 6,000 miles (via the Isthmus of Suez). From three months to between 35 and 45 days.

Egypt’s Postal Service
by Willard Fiske
Text of the chapter "Egypt's Postal Service" from the booklet "All about Postal Matters in Egypt" published on behalf of the "Society for the Education of Every Egyptian Youth" by the Landi Press, Florence in 1898.

The Antonius Ra Collection Presents: Egypt

The Egyptian Postal Museum
Story of the Post Museum in Cairo

International Postage Meter Stamp Catalog/Egypt
Meter stamps were first used in Egypt in 1922

Cairo Continental Hotel - from a postcard produced by Lichtenstern & Harari (circa 1900)

Books and Publications on Egyptian Stamps and Egyptian Postal History

20th Century Stamps of Egypt
by Ernest A Kehr, published by Chambers, 1942

The Airmails of Egypt
by John Sears, self-published ,1990
2nd edition 1991, 193pp

Addendum to "The Airmails of Egypt"
by John Sears, self-published, 1993

All about Postal Matters in Egypt
by Willard Fiske, published The Landi Press, 1898

All About Postal Matters in Egypt
by Willard Fiske, reprint by Harry Hayes, 1977, 26pp, ISBN 0905222350

All About Postal Matters in Egypt
by Willard Fiske, published by BilioBazaar, 2009, 28pp, ISBN 1113337095

Army & Field Post Offices of Egypt & the EEF 1914-20
by Michael M Sacher, published by RPSL, 1970, 34pp (published as a supplement to the London Philatelist)

Catalogue of Egyptian Aerophilately
by Khetcho Hagopian, published by Oriental Philatelic House, 1992, 168pp

Catalogue of Egyptian Revenue Stamps: With Sudanese Revenues & Egyptian Cinderellas
by Peter R Feltus, published by Postilion Publications, 1982, 209pp

Catalogue of the Royal Imperforate Printings of Egypt
by George L Lee (editor), self published, 1959

Censorship of Civil Mail in Egypt 1939 to 1945
by Peter Andrews, self-published, 2003

Commemorative Stamps of Egypt
by Ernest Anthony Kehr, 1938, 19pp

Consular.... in Egypt
by Themis Dacos, published by Collectio, 1994
Story of the Greek consular post in Egypt, in Greek and English, it details the handstamps used from 1833, and the stamps used from 1882 to the 1970s.

Egypt
by F J Melville, published by Stanley Gibbons, 1915, 81pp

Egypt - A History of its Stamps
by R E R Dalwick, published by Mekeel-Severn-Wylie Co, 1922

Egypt: The First Portrait Issue - A compilation since 1928
by John Sears, self-published, 2001

Egypt: "Posta Europea" and Kehr Interpostals Catalogue
by E A Kehr and Philip Cockrill, published by House of Antiquity, 1983, 60pp, ISBN 0947628363

Egypt and Sudan: Priced catalog of a specialized postage stamp collection
by Eugene Klein, self-published, 1919, 12pp

The Egypt Flight of the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
by Fred F Blau and Cyril Deighton, published by Germany Philatelic Society Inc, 1981, 80pp

Egypt Postage Prepaid Military Datestamps 1941-1947
by F W Benians, published by National Philatelic Society, 1978, 156pp, ISBN 0906291003

Egypt: Stamps and Postal History - A Philatelic Treatise
by Peter A S Smith, published by J Bendon, 1999, 922pp, ISBN 9963579817

Egyptian interpostals or official local stamps
by O May, published for the Fiscal Philatelic Society by Bridger & Kay, 1915, 40pp

Egyptian Postal Markings of 1865-1879 Part 1
published by Egypt Study Circle, 1983, 60pp

Egypt: The Rural Postal Service
by Mike Murphy and Ibrahim Shoukry, 2010, 192pp

Forgery and Reprint Guide: Suez Canal v. 14
by J Barefoot, published by J Barefoot Ltd, 1983, 20pp, ISBN 0906845297

Great Britain Stamps of 1942 Overprinted MEF
by John A Firebrace, published by The Regent Stamp Co Ltd

History of the Polish Army Postal Service: Middle East and Italy, 1940-1948
by Ryszard Wagner, self-published, 1992, 355pp, ISBN 1872286704
Details all the Polish Field Post Office during and just after WWII, most of which were based in Egypt at some time or another during this period. Full details of when and where each postmark was used are given together with statistics of usage and cover valuations. An extremely comprehensive handbook of the Polish Army Postal Service, a "must have" for anyone collecting this area of Postal History.

The Interpostal Seals of Egypt, 1864-1891
by Ernest Anthony Kehr, self-published, 1943, 61pp

The Interpostals of Egypt, 1864-1892
by Ernest A Kehr, published by Stamp World Inc, 1962, 32pp

Kings of Egypt and Their Stamps
by A S Mackenzie, published by R Lowe, 1969, 40pp, ISBN 085397022X

The Nile Post: Handbook and Catalogue of Egyptian Stamps, Including listings of the Egyptian Issues for Palestine and Sudan
by Joseph H Chalhoub, self-published, 2003, ISBN 0973337303
Essays, proofs, plate varieties and perforation varieties are listed in detail. Full details of the "Royal" proofs of Kings Fuad and Farouk; the stamps of the British Forces in Egypt; and the stamps and postal stationery of Egypt overprinted for Sudan.

Perfins on Egyptian Stamps
by Vahe Varjabedian, 1999

Postage stamps of the Great Bitter Lake Association
by Bryan Hill, published by Picton Publishing, 1975, 196pp, ISBN 090263318X

Postal History of Egypt to 1900
by Samir Amin Fikry, published by The Royal Philatelic Society, 1996, 158pp, ISBN 0900631317

The Postal Markings of Egypt, 1866 through 1880
by Blomfield, 1970, The Egypt Study Circle, Study VI, 12pp

Postal Services of the British Forces in Egypt 1932-1940
by Hobbs, 1970, 38pp

The Private Shipletter Stamps of the World, Part 3 The Suez Canal Company
by J Boulad d’Humières, S Ringstrøm and H E Tester, published by Leonard H Hartman, 1985, 283pp

The Royal Air Force Cairo-Baghdad Air Mail Service, 1921-1927
by William C Andrews, published by British Philatelic Trust, 2000, 68pp, ISBN 1871777119

The Stamps of Egypt
by W S Warburg, 1895

The Stamps of Egypt
by Leon Balian, 1998
Contains all the varieties known and the quantities printed.

Stamps of Egypt with Egypt used in Palestine and Sudan, Book 2
by Leon Balian, 2007
Plate flaws of Egypt 1940-1980; French Post Offices in Egypt and their stationery; airmail issue of 1933. This is a complete recap of the original catalogue.

The Stamp Booklets of Egypt
by A John Revell, self-published, 1997

Stanley Gibbons Commonwealth Stamp Catalogue East Africa with Egypt and Sudan
published by Stanley Gibbons Limited, 2010, 176pp, ISBN 0852597665

Stamp Catalogue: Middle East Pt. 19
Published by Stanley Gibbons Ltd, 1st edition, 1980, 416pp, ISBN 085259206X
Stamp Catalogue: Middle East Pt. 19
Published by Stanley Gibbons Ltd, 2nd edition, 1983, 464pp, ISBN 0852590326
Stamp Catalogue: Middle East Pt. 19
Published by Stanley Gibbons Ltd, 3rd edition, 1986, 496pp, ISBN 0852591276
Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue Part 19: Middle East
Published by Stanley Gibbons Ltd, 4th edition, 1990, 576pp, ISBN 0852592396
Stamp Catalogue: Middle East Pt. 19
Published by Stanley Gibbons Ltd, 5th edition, 1996, 384pp, ISBN 0852593937
Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue: Middle East Pt. 19
Published by Stanley Gibbons Ltd, 6th edition, 2005, pp, ISBN 085259576X
Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue: Middle East Pt. 19
Published by Stanley Gibbons Ltd, 7th edition, 2009, 450pp, ISBN 0852597193

The Travelling Post Offices of Egypt
by Peter Alan Somervail Smith, published by Mobile Post Office Society, 1983, 65pp