Bahrain first used the postage stamps of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

before eventually issuing its own stamps in 1960.

Early years

The first post office in Bahrain opened on 1 August 1884 in the capital,

Manama Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very di ...

. This was a sub-office of the ''Indian Post Office'' at

Bushire Bushehr, Booshehr or Bushire ( fa, بوشهر ; also romanised as ''Būshehr'', ''Bouchehr'', ''Buschir'' and ''Busehr''), also known as Bandar Bushehr ( fa, ; also romanised as ''Bandar Būshehr'' and ''Bandar-e Būshehr''), previously Antioc ...

in Iran, both of which were part of the ''Bombay Postal Circle''. This remained the only post office until 1946. Stamps of British India were used in Bahrain until 1933 and used examples may be identified from the cancellations which are illustrated in specialised catalogues.

1933 to 1947

British India stamps

overprinted An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage or revenue stamp, postal stationery, banknote or ticket after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative purpos ...

BAHRAIN were used from 1933 to 1947 depicting

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

(1933) and then

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

from 1938.''Stanley Gibbons Simplified Catalogue of Stamps of the World''. 71st edition. London: Stanley Gibbons, 2005, p.279. Un-overprinted Victory stamps of India were also on sale in Bahrain during January 1946 and a 16 anna stamp booklet was issued in 1934.''Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue: Commonwealth and British Empire Stamps 1840-1970''. 110th edition. London: Stanley Gibbons, 2008, pp.86-88.

1948 to 1960

From 1 April 1948, postal administration was handled by the British Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia. British issues overprinted BAHRAIN and surcharged in annas or rupees were in use from 1948 to 1960. Numerous varieties of overprint exist which are listed in specialist catalogues and eagerly sought-after by

philatelist 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 ...

First Bahraini stamps

A number of

local stamp Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...

s were issued between 1953 and 1961 which, whilst intended only for domestic mail, are known used on international mail. These stamps all depicted Sheikh

Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa ( ar, سلمان بن حمد آل خليفة; born 21 October 1969) is the Crown prince and the Prime Minister of Bahrain. He is also the deputy supreme commander of the Bahrain Defence Force. Early life and educa ...

and are similar in design to the later 1960 series. The first stamps specifically designed for both domestic and international mail were a

definitive Definitive may refer to: * ''Definitive'' (TV series), 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 See also * Definiten ...

set issued on 1 July 1960, which featured Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa with Arabic text at the top. In 1964, a new definitive set was issued depicting Sheikh

Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (; 3 June 1931 – 6 March 1999) was the first emir of Bahrain from 1961 until his death in 1999. Born in Jasra, Bahrain, he became emir upon the death of his father, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Early life and reign ...

. The Bahrain Post Office fully took over postal services from Britain on 1 January 1966 when a further definitive set was issued.

War Tax issues

Beginning during the Arab-Israeli War of October 1973, Bahrain required that all letters bear evidence of the payment of a 5 fils tax that raised funds for Palestinian refugees. At first regular 5 fils stamps were added at the post office and handstamped 'War Effort' in Arabic. On 21 October 1973, similarly inscribed stamps, printed with light blue ink, were issued. On 1 December 1973, this first issue was replaced by one with a more stylized script, also in light blue. In 1988, this second stamp was issued with slightly larger perforations. While more appropriately known as ''

postal tax stamp A postal tax stamp refers to a stamp which raises revenue for charity or war related projects. Postal tax stamps are similar to semi-postals, except their use is mandatory instead of voluntary. They are used to show payment of a compulsory tax on m ...

s'', major catalogues have classified them as ''

war tax stamp A war tax stamp is a type of postage stamp added to an envelope in addition to regular postage. It is similar to a postal tax stamp, but the revenue is used to defray the costs of a war; as with other postal taxes, its use is obligatory for so ...

s''.

Recent stamp issues

Since obtaining postal independence, the Bahrain Post Office has pursued a conservative policy issuing four or five sets of stamps each year with an occasional new definitive series. The stamps have generally featured subjects of local or regional interest.

Cinderella stamps

A number of

cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

and bogus stamps have been issued over the years including official traffic safety labels available free from Bahraini post offices in 1981 and a bogus ''Bahrain Camel Post'' series between 1986 and 1990. The ''Camel Post'' series was based on the famous desert postman stamps of Sudan and sold in aid of a home for disabled children.Cooper, Jeri. ''The Alnis Guide to the Revenues, War Tax Issues & Cinderellas of Bahrain''. Bradford: HH Sales Limited, 2000, pp.26-31.

References

External links

Bahrain Post website.G.B. Overprint Society Bahrain pages.
*https://web.archive.org/web/20191206191554/http://www.bahrain-stamps.com/ *http://www.stampdomain.com/country/bahrain/display.htm {{PostalhistoryAsia Postal system of Bahrain Philately of Bahrain Postage stamps of Bahrain