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This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Egypt.
Contents
Pre-stamp era
Handstamps were first introduced during the Napoleonic period, 1798-1800. Single line handstamps are known from "ALEXANDRIE", "LE CAIRE", "BENESOUEF" and "SIOUTH".
Carlo Meratti, an Italian, set up the first postal system in Egypt in 1821. This was a private enterprise which in 1842 was named "POSTA EUROPEA". The Egyptian Government, in 1857, sanctioned it to carry on all inland postal services. This concession was purchased by the Egyptian Government and on 1 January 1865 it took control of this service. This service was renamed to "POSTE VICE-REALI EGIZIAN".
First stamps
First Egyptian stamps were issued on 1 January 1866. 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.
After independence, Egypt Post was used. Stamps were labeled "United Arab Republic" or more commonly UAR from 1959-1971.
Egyptian post offices in foreign countries
Post offices in Sudan, the Turkish Empire and in East Africa were opened by the Egyptian postal administration. No special stamps were used just normal Egyptian stamps; so they can only be identified by the cancellation.
Sudan
According to records a total of 27 post offices were opened in Sudan – but cancellations are known only from 11 of these. Egyptian stamps were in use in Sudan between 1867 and 1897.
Ottoman Empire
A total of twenty post offices were opened in the Ottoman Empire; the locations are now Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Syria. These were in operation for only a few years between 1865 and 1881.
In 1865 the local post distribution company Liannos et Cie was established in Constantinople to distribute mail arriving in the city which was not addressed in Arabic as the staff of the Ottoman Postal Service were unable to read the Latin alphabet. In 1866 a second service was set up on behalf of the Egyptian post office operating in the city to solve the same problem. Both services were short lived.
East Africa
Four post offices were opened in what is now Somalia and one in present-day Eritrea. They were open between 1867 and 1885.