Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
and its predecessor state, the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, dates to the 18th century when foreign countries maintained courier services through their consular offices in the Empire. Although delayed in the development of its own postal service, in 1863 the Ottoman Empire became the second independent country in Asia (after Russia) to issue adhesive postage stamps, and in 1875, it became a founding member of the General Postal Union, soon to become the
Universal Postal Union
The Universal Postal Union (UPU, french: link=no, Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to ...
. The Ottoman Empire became the Republic of Turkey in 1923, and in the following years, its postal service became more modernized and efficient and its postage stamps expertly designed and manufactured.
The Ottoman Empire's early or "classic" stamp issues between 1863 and 1888 are popular among
philatelists
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...
, and its postal cancellations have received extensive study. Philatelists collect stamps used in various parts of the Ottoman Empire, such as Palestine,
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
, and
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
. Turkey's stamps also have a complex history of overprints of interest to philatelists.
Ottoman Empire
Early mail service
In the 18th century, foreign countries maintained courier services through their official missions in the Empire, to permit transportation of mail between those countries and Constantinople. Nine countries had negotiated "Capitulations" or treaties with the Ottomans, which granted various extraterritorial rights in exchange for trade opportunities. Such agreements permitted
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
(1720 & 1783),
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
(1739),
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
(1812), Great Britain (1832) and Greece (1834), as well as Germany, Italy, Poland, and Romania, to maintain post offices in the Ottoman Empire. Some of these developed into public mail services, used to transmit mail to Europe.
The Ottoman Empire itself did not maintain a regular public mail service until 1840, when a service was established between
and other major cities in the country. As late as 1863, there were only 63 domestic post offices in the entire empire, and service was sporadic and slow.
Tughra issue
On January 1, 1863, the Ottoman Empire issued its first adhesive
postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...
s. It was the second independent country in Asia to issue adhesive stamps, preceded only by
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
itself in 1854 and Ceylon in 1857. The Ottoman Empire's stamps came less than two years after its neighbor and former territory,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
(independent 1832), issued its first stamps.
The design consists of the
tughra
A tughra ( ota, طغرا, ṭuġrā) is a calligraphic monogram, seal or signature of a sultan that was affixed to all official documents and correspondence. Inspired by the tamgha, it was also carved on his seal and stamped on the coins minted ...
, the emblem of sovereignty, for the then current ruler Sultan Abdülaziz, over a crescent bearing the inscription in Ottoman Turkish ''Devleti Aliye Osmaniye'', or "The Sublime Ottoman Empire". Between some of the stamps there is a control band with the words ''Nazareti Maliye devleti aliye'', or "Ministry of Finance of the Imperial Government". The stamp was designed and lithographed at the Constantinople mint,Passer 1938, p. 51. and the writing is entirely in Turkish using Arabic script. The issue includes four denominations issued as regular postage stamps, and the same four values as postage due stamps. Including
paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...
variants, a total of 10 Scott catalogue numbers have been assigned the issue.
"Duloz" issue
"Dissatisfied" with the first issue as compared with "the well-executed stamps of other countries", the Ottoman Empire turned to France for its second issue of postage stamps, following Greece's decision to have its first stamps printed in Paris. Commonly known as the Duloz issue, it was engraved by a Frenchman, Mr. "Duloz", and originally printed by the Poitevin firm in Paris. The engraver has been identified as Pierre Edelestand Stanislas Dulos (1820-1874). Dulos, as his name is correctly spelled, was a highly skilled technical engraver and the inventor of a chemical process to produce recess or relief engraving plates, and engraved many French revenue stamps. The design was apparently prepared by the Ottoman Ministry of Finance, but the name of the designer is unknown. The Duloz stamps were issued from 1865 to 1876, although two were
overprint
An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a Postage stamp, postage or revenue stamp, postal stationery, banknote or Ticket (admission), ticket after it has been Printing, printed. Post offices most often use ...
ed for use in 1881–1882, and continued to be used for some time as the subsequent Empire issue was not valid for domestic postage until 1888 (''see below''). In 1868, printing plates for the stamps were sent to Constantinople, where the remaining Duloz stamps were printed. Some of the subsequent printings were poorly printed and badly perforated.
The Duloz stamps were typographed or relief printed and the design consists of a central oval enclosing a crescent and star with radiating lines, and "have a distinctly oriental character". Each value was printed in a single color. Turkish writing in Arabic script is overprinted on the oval in black, stating ''Postai devleti Osmaniye'' or "Post of the Ottoman Empire". The bottom inscription states the denomination in '' para'', or fortieths of a '' piastre (kuruş)'', and accordingly differs on each value.
The Duloz stamps were reprinted in a series of issues with different colors and overprint script, from 1865 to 1882. Scott assigns 46 primary catalog numbers to the Duloz stamps, plus 29 numbers to the postage dues.
Effective July 1, 1875, the Ottoman Empire became a founding member of the General Postal Union, soon to become the
Universal Postal Union
The Universal Postal Union (UPU, french: link=no, Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to ...
, a multi-country treaty facilitating and standardizing the transport of mail between members. In January 1876 the Duloz stamps were overprinted with the values in western numerals (in piastres, not para) and French abbreviations as "a provisional series for
franking
Franking comprises all devices, markings, or combinations thereof ("franks") applied to mails of any class which qualifies them to be postally serviced. Types of franks include uncanceled and precanceled postage stamps (both adhesive and printed o ...
letters to countries belonging to the Universal Postal Union". The Ottoman Empire hoped that joining the UPU would eliminate the foreign post offices operating in the country, but that did not occur as the foreign post offices continued to be competitive.
Empire issue
The Empire issue was first issued in September 1876, following the Ottoman Empire's entry into the Universal Postal Union, and unlike the preceding Duloz issue, bore the name of the country and the values in Western characters as well as Arabic. They were intended for use to countries in the UPU, but in March 1888 became officially valid for domestic use.Passer 1938, p. 76 The Empire stamps were issued from 1876 to 1890, and the basic postage stamps, not counting overprinted stamps, are assigned a total of 32 catalog numbers by Scott, including three postage dues.
The design of the Empire issue consists of a crescent, with ends pointing upward, surrounding Arabic script, which reads, like the Duloz stamps, "Post of the Ottoman Empire". In the bottom center of the crescent itself appears, also in Arabic writing, the denomination, e.g. 20 Paras or 2 Piastres. In side-panels to the lower left and right of the crescent appear only the numerical value, but in Turkish numerals. Below the crescent is a label with the works ''EMP: OTTOMAN'', that is, Ottoman Empire, and below the label is the value in western numerals and letters, e.g. "2 Piastres".
The stamps were typographed in two colors, except for the postage dues, which were printed only in black. There is a background composed of calligraphic letters, in mirror image, reading ''Postai devleti Osmaniye'', or "Post of the Ottoman Empire", and the Turkish year date 1291, equivalent to 1875. The color combinations used are often striking.
To the end of the Nineteenth century
In 1892, the Ottoman Empire issued a series of large stamps with an intricate design known by philatelists as the "Arms and Tughra" issue, the only western writing being the value both in numerals and spelled out in French. The center of the stamps bears the Ottoman coat of arms surrounding the tughra of Abdul Hamid II. Stamps were issued for regular postage and for postage due and were overprinted for use as newspaper stamps and for other purposes.
In 1898 the Ottoman Empire issued a series of stamps for its armed forces occupying
Thessaly
Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, The ...
during the Greco-Turkish War. The stamps have an intricate design incorporating the tughra and the bridge at Larissa and are of interest for their unusual octagonal shape and perforations which permit them to be separated into either squares or octagons. They are the first postage stamps ever issued octagonally perforated.
Early Twentieth Century
From 1901 through 1911, the Ottoman Empire issued a number of stamps with similar designs including the Tughra of the reigning monarch. All early Ottoman stamps were printed in the Ottoman Empire, with the exception of the first two Duloz issues printed in Paris (''see above''). All these stamps also had a distinct Turkish appearance until 1913, when a series of stamps was issued commemorating the recapture of Adrianople from the Bulgarians. These stamps were designed by Oskan Effendi and were engraved and printed in England by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., Ltd., and are in a more international style, with central vignettes surrounded by a frame. An example is illustrated in the lead to this article.
In early 1914, a series of finely engraved stamps, some in two colors, was issued depicting scenes of Constantinople and other images. They were designed by Oskan Effendi and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. in England, and also have a more international appearance to them.
World War I and the End of the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire signed the secret Ottoman-German Alliance on August 2, 1914, and entered hostilities on the side of the Central Powers in October 1914. The war and its disruptions are reflected in the Ottoman stamps issued during the war, which included stamps depicting soldiers and battle scenes, a number of provisional stamp issues in which available stocks of older issues were overprinted due to paper shortages, and stamps issued to collect a tax for war orphans. Remainders of stamps as old as 1865 were overprinted, some of which already had overprints, and sometimes multiple new overprints were added, resulting in a complex variety of configurations of interest to philatelists. The Allied Forces were victorious and occupied Constantinople, after which the Ottoman government collapsed. The
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres (french: Traité de Sèvres) was a 1920 treaty signed between the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire. The treaty ceded large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, Greece and Italy, as well ...
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...
against the Allies ensued. Outside of a small area surrounding Constantinople, Turkey was controlled by the Ankara Government and is referred to philatelically as "Turkey in Asia" or "Anatolia". This eventually led to the Treaty of Lausanne, July 24, 1923, which supplanted the Treaty of Sèvres. From 1920 to 1922, small stocks of old postage stamps were overprinted after which a number of large revenue stamps with intricate designs and without Western lettering were handstamped for validation as postage. Passer has stated that the study of the stamps of this period "is very difficult, for there are no reliable official records of the actual dates of their issue, or of the length of time for which they were used, and but few genuine letters with clear dates are available."
The Republic of Turkey
On 1 November 1922, the National Assembly, led by Mustafa Kemal, abolished the Sultinate and the last Sultan, Mehmed VI abdicated and fled the country. Turkey was declared a republic on 28 October 1923. The republic's first stamp issue was a definitive series depicting a star and crescent, somewhat reminiscent of the Duloz issue. This issue marked the end of the use of the Tughra which had appeared as a design element in most of Turkey's stamps from 1863 to 1922.
The first republic issue was followed by an issue commemorating the Treaty of Peace at Lausanne, and other issues depicting national scenes and Mustafa Kemal. From the late 1920s up to 1940, Turkey overprinted a number of stamps to commemorate events such as exhibitions or the opening of a railroad.
In 1931, Turkey began a new stamp issue in a more contemporary style depicting Mustafa Kemal. Mustafa Kemal would continue to be a common subject of Turkey's stamps thereafter. In the following decades, Turkey's stamp production became more varied, producing colorful stamps with a great diversity of images including scenes of the country, archeological sites, famous Turks, native flora and fauna, and folk costumes, to name just a few.
Up to 1937, all of Turkey's stamps had been printed by either
engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...
or
typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), ...
. In 1937, Turkey issued its first stamp printed by
lithography
Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...
and in 1938 it printed a stamp issue by
photogravure
Photogravure (in French ''héliogravure'') is a process for printing photographs, also sometimes used for reproductive intaglio printmaking. It is a photo-mechanical process whereby a copper plate is grained (adding a pattern to the plate) and ...
, which thereafter became the standard methods for printing its stamps.
Miscellaneous stamps
Over the years, Turkey issued a number of stamps for specialized purposes.
In 1863, the Ottoman Empire issued a set of postage due stamps, being among the first countries in the world to issue stamps for that specific purpose. The postage dues through 1913 had the same designs as the regular stamps, such as the Duloz or Empire issues, but were typically distinguished by being printed in brown or black. In 1914, the Ottoman Empire issued its first postage dues with their own designs.
Turkey issued a number of official stamps for governmental use. From 1948 to 1957, it produced such stamps by overprinting regular postage stamps with the word "Resmî," meaning "Official." A number of varieties of the overprints exist. Beginning in 1957, Turkey issued official stamps specifically designed for that purpose, commonly with the value in the center surrounded by ornate designs.
From 1928 through 1958, Turkey issued a number of postal tax stamps to collect funds for certain charities such as the so-called
Red Crescent
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
counterpart to the
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...
.
Local stamps
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. The stamps were printed by Perkins Bacon from plates that are now held in the museum of the
Royal Philatelic Society London
The Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) is the oldest philatelic society in the world. It was founded on 10 April 1869 as ''The Philatelic Society, London''. The society runs a postal museum, the Spear Museum of Philatelic History, at its he ...
."Museum & Archives News: Liannos City Post", ''
The London Philatelist
''The London Philatelist'' was first published in January 1892 by
Postal stationery
A piece of postal stationery is a stationery item, such as a stamped envelope, letter sheet, postal card, lettercard, aerogram or wrapper, with an imprinted stamp or inscription indicating that a specific rate of postage or related serv ...
envelopes were first issued in 1869 and continue to be available to date.
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...
s were first issued in 1877 and since then over one hundred different postcards have been produced.
Lettercard
In philately, a lettercard or letter card is a postal stationery item consisting of a folded card with a prepaid imprinted stamp. That it is folded over gives the writer twice as much room for the message compared with a postal card. The messa ...
s were first issued in 1895 and the last issue was in 1914. Four
newspaper wrapper
In philately a wrapper is a form of postal stationery which pays the cost of the delivery of a newspaper or a periodical. The wrapper is a sheet of paper, large enough to wrap around a folded or rolled newspaper and with an imprinted stamp to pay ...
s were issued in 1901, followed by two new values in 1902 and a further two new values with a new design in 1914. One registration envelope was issued in 1914 and when the stocks were exhausted no further issues were made till 1993 when 4 values were made available.
Aerogramme
An aerogram, aerogramme, aérogramme, air letter or airletter is a thin lightweight piece of foldable and gummed paper for writing a letter for transit via airmail, in which the letter and envelope are one and the same. Most postal administration ...
s were first issued in 1963, when three values were made available.
Higgins & Gage World Postal Stationery Catalog In philately, the ''Higgins & Gage World Postal Stationery Catalog'' is the most recent encyclopedic catalogue of postal stationery
A piece of postal stationery is a stationery item, such as a stamped envelope, letter sheet, postal card, ...
Postal cancellations
The postal cancellations, applied to Turkey's stamps to prevent re-use, carried the name, in Turkish—written in Arabic script—and sometimes also in the Latin alphabet, of the localities where posted. These cancellations have received extensive study by philatelists, who have cataloged several thousand used in the Ottoman Empire. The cancellations include "negative seals," typically a circular stamp in which the Arabic lettering appears uninked against a black background.
Image:Trebizonde 83.jpg, 1870-71 Duloz cancelled in Trebizonde
Image:Brusa 141.jpg, 1886 Empire cancelled in Bursa, negative seal within box
Image:Negative Seal.jpg, 1890 Empire with unidentified negative seal cancellation
Image:Turkey 89.jpg, 1890 Empire with Stamboul cancellation
Philatelic forgeries
Stamps of Turkey, especially the nineteenth-century issues, have been extensively forged for the philatelic market, including both rare and common issues. As Fernand Serrane, one of the great experts in stamp forgeries, warned, "Forged overprints pullulate; all the more reason why one should avoid involvement". A number of philatelists have published studies of the forgeries of Turkey.Serrane, supra.
See also
*
PTT (Turkey)
PTT, an abbreviation for (lit. Post and Telegraph Agency), is the national post and telegraph directorate of Turkey. Formerly, the organization was named . After the privatization of the telephone telecommunications service business, the dire ...
;The Ottoman Empire
*
Postage stamps and postal history of Hatay
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Hatay State, formerly the Sanjak of Alexandretta of the French Mandate of Syria.
Background
After the First World War the Sanjak of Alexandretta became part of the French Manda ...
Postage stamps and postal history of Palestine The postage stamps and postal history of Palestine emerges from its geographic location as a crossroads amidst the empires of the ancient Near East, the Levant and the Middle East. Postal services in the region were first established in the Bronze ...
*
List of Ottoman post offices in Palestine
The List of Ottoman post offices in Palestine contains those post offices operated in Palestine during Palestine (region)#Ottoman rule (1841–1917), Ottoman rule. The establishment of a new imperial postal system in 1834 and development of the tr ...
*
List of Ottoman postal rates in Palestine
The List of Ottoman postal rates in Palestine surveys the postal rates in effect between 1840 and 1918 during the Ottoman rule in Palestine. Rates not applicable in Palestine are not included.
The Imperial edict of 12 Ramasan 1256 (14 October 18 ...
;Foreign post offices in Turkey
*
Capitulations of the Ottoman Empire
Capitulations of the Ottoman Empire were contracts between the Ottoman Empire and other powers in Europe, particularly France. Turkish capitulations, or Ahidnâmes were generally bilateral acts whereby definite arrangements were entered int ...
*
Austrian post offices in the Ottoman Empire
Austria and other European nations maintained an extensive system of post offices in the Ottoman Empire, typically motivated by the unreliable postal system of the Ottomans.
First and last service period
Austria gained permission in 1721 from the ...
*
French post offices in the Ottoman Empire
The French post offices in the Ottoman Empire were post offices in various cities of the Ottoman Empire run by France between 1812 and 1923. France was one of a half-dozen European countries, the others being Austria, Russia, Great Britain, Germany ...
*
German post offices in the Ottoman Empire
The German post offices abroad were a network of post offices in foreign countries established by Germany to provide mail service where the local services were deemed unsafe or unreliable. They were generally set up in cities with some sort of ...
;Notes
;Sources
* John H. Coles & Howard E. Walker (
984
Year 984 ( CMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Spring – German boy-king Otto III (4-years old) is seized by the deposed Henry II ...
1995), ''Postal Cancellations of the Ottoman Empire'', Christie’s-Robson Lowe, London four parts, each a separate volume, identifying cancellations used on stamps throughout the empire, up its end in 1923. Part 1, ''Europe,'' is undated but was published in 1984. Part 2, ''The Lost Territories in Africa & Asia,'' , is undated. Part 3, ''Turkey-in-Europe,'', is undated. Part 4, ''Turkey-in-Asia,'', is dated 1995. An undated Addendum, Corrigendum and Index was issued for Part 1.
* Adolf Passer (1938), ''The Stamps of Turkey'', Royal Philatelic Society, London. The major study of the stamps up to 1934, with details on postal history, production methods, local issues, proofs, etc.
Further reading
*
Mehmet Ismet Başaran
Mehmet Ismet Başaran (born August 1953) is a Turkish-born British chemical engineer and philatelist. He is an authority on the Tughra stamps, tughra (or toughra) stamps of 1863–65 of the Ottoman Empire and has won several gold medals for his ...
, ''Tughra Stamps''.
*Erkan Esmer, ''The Ottoman Empire: a Study of Postal Rates, Routes, Delivery Times and Effects of Historical Events.''
*Menachim Max Mayo, ''Anatolia''.
*''Pulko 2007, Ottoman Empire and Republic of Turkey Postage Stamp Catalogue.'' The standard catalog (in Turkish)
*''The Duloz Issues of Turkey 1865-1887 formed by Max Plantinga'', David Feldman, Geneva 2009. Award-winning collection of Duloz stamps.
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...