INTRODUCTION OF THE FIRST EDITION

The objective of this work is to document the postal history of Egypt under the Muhammad Ali Dynasty which extended from 1805 to 1953.  The work is presented in three volumes. Volume 1 deals with the period prior to the First World War (WW1), which includes the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha through to Abbas Helmi II (Rulers 1 to 7). Volume 2 covers the period from WW1 to the establishment of the Republic in 1953 and the following four years that led up to the Suez War in 1956 when the Canal was closed, followed by the reopening of the Canal in 1957, which includes the reign of Hussein Kamel to Ahmed Fouad II (Rulers 8 to 11).  Volume 3 documents the spread of Egypt’s post offices at home and abroad and also their cancellations, based on the author’s stamp collection, and covers the period from when the very first Egyptian postage stamps were issued, in 1866, to the beginning of WW1.  Figure 1-1 below shows who ruled, and when, during the Muhammad Ali Dynasty.

Presenting the postal history in a chronological manner gives the reader the historical context, and a brief description of life in Egypt is given during each period. To give the work an economic dimension, the currency, mainly coins, used to buy such stamps is presented. This will help the reader to gain a tangible meaning of the value of such stamps throughout the period addressed. A summary is given of Egypt’s history before Muhammad Ali became Egypt’s ruler in 1805. 

In presenting the history in conjunction with the postal events that occurred in each period, this work will help readers understand why such issues came in such form. For example, why the inscriptions on the first postage stamps were in Turkish, which then changed to Italian, then to French, and then to English, and when it became bilingual (Arabic and a European language), and which European language appeared at which time. It will also explain why the stamps were sometimes issued as ‘Egypt’ and at other times as the ‘Kingdom of Egypt.’

This historical account will explain the presence of foreign post offices in Egypt and the presence of Egyptian post offices abroad, in the Mediterranean countries, the countries bordering the Red Sea, and in Sudan.  This historical background sheds an important light on, and gives a better understanding of, the various postal issues in Egypt, which has not been presented before.  The great majority of works on the postal history of Egypt have focused mainly on the postal issues, not tying them with the history of the country at the time, or its economic and social life.  It is hoped that, by throwing a light on these aspects, the reader will gain a better appreciation of Egypt’s very rich postal history. 

This work is directed mainly toward would-be collectors, and beginning collectors of Egyptian stamps. Its aim is to give a comprehensive introduction to Egypt’s postal history in conjunction with the corresponding events that were happening at the time of each postal event, to give a wider dimension to, and appreciation of, the country’s economic and social history that was unfolding at the same time that its postal service was being expanded, improved and modernized. It is not intended for the specialist or advanced collector whose interests may lie in more complex matters such as the many stamp varieties, rarities, essays, proofs and forgeries. There is a lot of literature available that deals with such advanced matters and it is felt that there is no need to repeat them in this work. Therefore the focus of these volumes is on the major postal events and on describing, documenting and illustrating them.

The third volume of this series deals with the Post Offices in Egypt and their cancellations that were established at the introduction of the first Egyptian postage stamps in 1866 until the beginning of the First World War (WW1), from the reign of Khedive Ismail, through that of Muhammad Tewfik, to that of Abbas Helmi II (Rulers 5 to 7).  It covers the first four issues of Egyptian stamps and the first issue of Pictorials in 1914. The documentation relies upon a huge collection of cancellations to establish the existence of such post offices. 

A total of three hundred and thirty-three post offices are identified and reported, with examples given of their use. Each post office location is given and its cancellation shown. The cancellation numbering presented in this volume follows the same twelve types identified by the Egypt Study Circle (ESC), by Prof. Peter A.S. Smith in his book, and by the R.S. Blomfield (1936) study.  This volume also documents Egyptian post offices in the countries on the Red Sea and in Sudan.  The stamps shown in this volume are mostly based on a collection that Dr. Medhat El-Chichini sold to Prof. Peter Smith. A while later, Prof. Smith offered to sell a considerable part of this collection to the author, which he has re-ordered by geographical location. This part of the collection did not include Cairo offices or Post Offices Abroad.  

Chapter 1 – Cancellations: The various types of Egyptian post office cancellations are documented, with examples of their use and reproductions of the cancellations. The sizes of the cancellations shown are not the actual sizes of the originals, and this is done deliberately so that they cannot be used illegally.  We start with the twelve types identified by the ESC, Prof. Peter A.S. Smith and R.S. Blomfield.  Other cancellations are also shown, such as the retta, cash, railway stations, advice of receipt, registration, arrival and departure, parcels and insured parcels, customs, and after departure.  The Post Office also allowed some hotels to have their own cancellations, and these hotel cancellations are presented, with examples of their use.

Chapter 2 – Post Offices in Egypt: All the post offices within each governorate are listed, together with tables indicating the locations of the governorates, their capitals, and distances of these capitals from Cairo. Egypt has twenty-seven governorates, and offices which were found in each governorate have been reported along with their location from the government capital. The distance from the governorate capital to Cairo is also mentioned, and each post office location is thoroughly identified, with a brief history given when warranted.  All the examples found have been reported and their cancellations reproduced.  A table is included that lists all the cities, in alphabetical order, in both English and Arabic, to help the reader find the cancellations for which he or she is searching. 

Chapter 3 – Travelling and Rural Post Offices: Travelling Post Offices began in 1875, and used the rail network and waterways to deliver the mail.  After WW1, cars were also used.  This service delivered the mail to locations where regular post offices did not exist. Citizens exchanged the mail with the travelling post office as it arrived to their location which was on its route.  We use the list given in Prof. Peter Smith’s book, but it was not possible to find every route he had identified.  We present what we found, as well as additional routes that were not identified in the work of Peter Smith.  Rural post offices served small villages and hamlets and the rural postman delivered the mail from the train station from provincial offices to these remote locations, either on foot or by donkey.  The Rural Service (‘Tawāfa’ in Arabic) began in 1889. Examples of both services are provided.  For a more detailed account, please see ‘Egypt: The Rural Postal Service: An Introduction’ by Mike Murphy and Ibrahim Shoukry.

Chapter 4 – Egypt Post Offices Abroad in the Mediterranean and Red Sea countries: Egypt’s postal service included post offices in the Mediterranean and Red Sea countries, and in many ports that are now located in Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Israel.  A detailed account is given of these post offices. This presentation relies heavily on the Peter A.S. Smith collection.  In addition to the Mediterranean post offices, there were also post offices in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sawakin which is now in Sudan, and Massawa which is now in Eritrea.  A detailed map is given to show the locations of these post offices, along with the dates when they opened and closed, examples of their use, and the cancellations have been reproduced.  Sudan is covered in detail in Book 1, but a brief account is also given in this chapter of the Sudan cancellations so as to provide a good reference for Egyptian Post Office cancellations.

INTRODUCTION OF THE SECOND EDITION

In this edition we have gathered all the maps for the country into one map, which is attached to the book. We have also reduced the size of the covers but kept the stamps and cancellation close to their original sizes. We have updated some information about the governorates and added new cancellations we had found for cities already included in the book. In this edition we have also added nineteen more post offices.

New cancellation	New post offices