Egypt: Suez Canal by Postcard

When Egypt became a Republic in 1952, understandably its government wanted to regain control of the Suez Canal and secure the associated financial benefits. In 1956, Egyptian President Nasser revoked concessions granted to the predominantly French and British controlled Suez Canal Company – an act that led to conflict and the subsequent nationalisation of the

Egypt: 1921 French Overprint Variations

In an earlier blog, we introduced the French issues of the Egyptian Ports of Alexandria and Port Said. The blog explored the postal issues of the British and French Post Offices and in particular, considered the French key plate designs of ‘Blanc’, Mouchon’ and ‘Merson’. The French continued to use French currency on these stamps

Egypt: Egyptian Ports

In the nineteenth century, international trade relied heavily on ships and so ports became important places through which that trade flowed. Strong trade links required effective communication systems and with telephony and radio still to be discovered and electrical telegraphy still in its infancy, this demand fell to the postal system. Established trading nations such

Egypt: Dating by Country Denotation

In 1958 Egypt and Syria formed the United Arb Republic (UAR) to protect common interests in the Middle East. From that year, postage stamps issued by the union countries carried the letters ‘UAR’ as well as the country where the stamps were issued. These denotations were to change in the following years and, in the

Egypt: Writing Home

The featured image is of an envelope posted in Cairo on 24 February 1936 to an address in Canterbury, England and carries a red prepaid postage stamp. On the back of the envelope is a 1 piastre letter seal beneath the emblem of the Royal Horse Artillery, an arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery that

Egypt: Reflections of an Ancient Civilisation

Few countries can boast a history quite like that of Egypt – built on the foundations of an ancient civilisation at that. Central to this civilisation was the River Nile that rises in eastern Africa and runs for thousands of miles before traversing Egypt and emptying into the Mediterranean. This was a powerful nation long

Egypt: Nationalisation of the Suez Canal

The Suez Canal is synonymous with Egypt as it lies completely within Egyptian territory. For centuries the early Egyptians had visions of joining the Nile to the Red Sea, creating a sea route between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. Early proposals included the canal construction from Suez (at the Gulf of Suez in the

Egypt: 1931 Graf Zeppelin Overprint

At the end of the 1920s, airships and nitrogen filled balloons came to prominence as a form of air travel and the conveyance of light freight such as mail. This development was primarily championed by a German engineer called Zeppelin. He set up his base in Bavaria, Germany, in close proximity to Switzerland and Austria