Postage stamps and postal history of Abu Dhabi
Encyclopedia
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
was formerly the largest of the seven sheikdoms which made up the Trucial States
Trucial States
The Trucial States were a group of sheikhdoms in the Persian Gulf.-General aspects:The sheikdoms included:*Abu Dhabi *Ajman...
on the so-called "Pirate Coast" of eastern Arabia between Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
and Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
. The Trucial States as a whole had an area of some 32,000 square miles (83,000 km²) of which Abu Dhabi alone had 26,000 (67,000 km²). The capital was the town of Abu Dhabi which is on an offshore island and was first settled in 1761.
Background
The name Trucial States arose from treaties made with Great Britain in 1820 which ensured a condition of truce in the area and the suppression of piracy and slavery. The treaty expired on 31 December 1966. The decision to form the UAE was made on 18 July 1971 and the federation was founded on 1 August 1972, although the inaugural UAE postage stamps were not issued until 1 January 1973.Postal services
In December 1960, postage stamps of British Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia were supplied to the construction workers on Das Island but the postal serviceMail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
was administered via the agency office in Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
. The mail
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
was also postmark
Postmark
thumb|USS TexasA postmark is a postal marking made on a letter, package, postcard or the like indicating the date and time that the item was delivered into the care of the postal service...
ed Bahrain so there was no clear indication that a letter had come from Das Island.
On 30 March 1963, a British agency was opened in Abu Dhabi and issued the agency stamps after the sheik objected to the use of the Trucial States definitive
Definitive
Definitive may refer to:* Definitive , an American music television series* Definitive stamp, a postage stamp that is part of a regular issue of a country's stamps available for sale by the postal service...
s. Mail from Das Island continued to be administered by Bahrain but was now cancelled by an Abu Dhabi Trucial States postmark.
The first Abu Dhabi stamps were a definitive series of 30 March 1964 depicting Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. There were eleven values under the Indian currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
that was used of 100 naye paise
Paisa
The paisa is a monetary unit in several countries. Linguistic variants of paisa include poisha and baisa . In India, Nepal and Pakistan, the paisa currently equals of a rupee. In Bangladesh, the poisha equals of a Bangladeshi taka...
= 1 rupee
Rupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...
. The range of values was 5 np to 10 rupees. Despite the introduction of these definitives, the British agency stamps remained valid in both Abu Dhabi and Das Island until the end of 1966 when they were withdrawn.
A post office was opened on Das Island on 6 January 1966 and this ended the Bahrain service. Mail from Das Island was now handled within Abu Dhabi.
When the treaty with Great Britain expired at the end of 1966, Abu Dhabi introduced a new currency of 1000 fils
Fils
Fils or FILS can mean*Fils , a river in Germany*Fils , a subdivision of currency used in many Arab countries*fils, the French word for "son"*Firestone Indy Lights Series...
= 1 dinar
Dinar
The dinar is the official currency of several countries.The history of the dinar dates to the gold dinar, an early Islamic coin corresponding to the Byzantine denarius auri...
and took over its own postal administration, including the Das Island office. The earlier issues were subject to surcharge
Overprint
An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage stamp or banknote after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative purposes such as accounting but they are also employed in public mail...
s in this currency and replacement definitive
Definitive
Definitive may refer to:* Definitive , an American music television series* Definitive stamp, a postage stamp that is part of a regular issue of a country's stamps available for sale by the postal service...
s were released depicting the new ruler, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Issues continued until introduction of UAE stamps in 1973.
In all, Abu Dhabi issued 95 stamps from 1964 to 1972, the final set being three views of the Dome of the Rock
Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock is a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The structure has been refurbished many times since its initial completion in 691 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik...
in Jerusalem.
See also
- Postage stamps and postal history of SharjahPostage stamps and postal history of SharjahCivil mail from Sharjah went through the post office in Dubai until 1963. Military mail from the British Forces stationed in the area went through the RAF airport in Sharjah....
- Postage stamps and postal history of the United Arab EmiratesPostage stamps and postal history of the United Arab EmiratesThis is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of the United Arab Emirates.The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah. The capital and second largest city of the United Arab Emirates is Abu Dhabi...
Sources
- Stanley Gibbons Ltd: various catalogues
- Encyclopaedia of Postal History
- Rossiter, StuartStuart RossiterPercival "Stuart" Bryce Rossiter was a renowned British philatelist and postal historian who wrote extensively about British postal history and postage stamps of British colonies in Africa and was actively involved in numerous philatelic institutions...
& John Flower. The Stamp Atlas. London: Macdonald, 1986. ISBN 0356108627
Further reading
- Alastair Gunn 'United Arab Emirates Postal History Volume 1 Abu Dhabi'
- 'Arabian Gulf States Postal History Quarterly'
- Neil Donaldson 'The Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia and the Gulf'