 | ||
Postage stamps of Italian Libya were stamps issued by the Kingdom of Italy for use in Italian Libya, between 1934 and 1943.
History
The area now comprising Libya was originally a vilayet of the Ottoman Empire which was ceded to Italy in 1912 and became an Italian colony with its own stamps
Stamps of Italy were issued from 1912 overprinted Libia and later Italian colonial issues were issued specifically for Libya. All stamps of colonial Libya were printed at the Italian Government Printing Works. Some were dedicated to celebrate Italian events not related to Libya
From 1924 to 1934 Tripolitania and Cyrenaica had their own stamps before being unified in 1934, with Fezzan, as the Italian colony of Libya. Italian colonial issues continued until Libya was overrun by the British Army during the Second World War in 1943.
The Fiera di Tripoli done inside Italian Tripoli had special stamps until World War II.
The most famous stamps of Italian Libya are those called Panoramiche, issued mainly in the late 1930s, that show Libyan landscape and city views. There were even special stamps for "servizi" (packs, etc.)
All the stamps of Italian Libya were issued with bilingual (Italian and Arab) numbers and letters, even during World War II when Germans of the "Afrika Korps" complained about the Arabic.