This is a survey of the postage stamps and

postal history Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of the use of postage stamps and covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating historical episodes in the development of postal systems. The term is att ...

of Saudi Arabia, formerly known as the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd until 22 September 1932. The

Kingdom of Hejaz The Hashemite Kingdom of Hejaz ( ar, المملكة الحجازية الهاشمية, ''Al-Mamlakah al-Ḥijāziyyah Al-Hāshimiyyah'') was a state in the Hejaz region in the Middle East that included the western portion of the Arabian Penins ...

and Nejd had been separate countries until the mid-1920s. Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab country of the Middle East. It is bordered by Jordan and Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south. The Persian Gulf lies to the northeast and the Red Sea to its west. It has an estimated population of 28 million, and its size is approximately .

Pre-stamp era

Hejaz The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provin ...

, in the western part of Arabia came under Turkish influence in 1517 and the Turks took direct control in 1845. Before the introduction of postage stamps and the railway, the limited amounts of mail that was sent traveled mainly by camel. Hejaz-revenue-1917

Between 1900 and 1908 a railway was built between Medina and

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

known as the Hejaz Railway and a number of

railway stamp In philately a railway stamp is a stamp issued to pay the cost of the conveyance of a letter or parcel by rail. A wide variety of railway stamps have been issued by different countries and by private and state railways. Railway stamps of an unof ...

s were issued for use on the service. Revenue stamps were also issued in connection with the financing of the railway. The Turks operated post offices at Abha or Ebha, El Ula, Hedye, Jeddah, Konfida, Mecca, Taif, Tebouk and Yanbo, and an Egyptian post office operated at Jeddah between 1865 and 1881.''Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue: Part 19 Middle East''. 6th edition. London:

Stanley Gibbons The Stanley Gibbons Group plc is a company quoted on the London Stock Exchange specialising in the retailing of collectable postage stamps and similar products. The group is incorporated in London. The company is a major stamp dealer and philat ...

, 2005, pp.266-292.

The Kingdom of Hejaz

achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1916. The first stamps of Hejaz were issued in October 1916. Stamps continued until 1925 and the many issues are noted for their complexity with many different printings and overprints which are often found inverted.

Nejdi occupation of Hejaz

Stamp Nejdi Administration of Hejaz 1925 5 pa blk ovpt

By 1925 Nejd had conquered the Kingdom of Hejaz. A variety of stamps were issued during the occupation, including postage stamps, railway stamps,

postage due Postage due is the term used for mail sent with insufficient postage. A postage due stamp is a stamp added to an underpaid piece of mail to indicate the extra postage due. Background While the problem of what to do about letters not paying the ...

s and revenue stamps. Many were overprinted, including Turkish stamps made valid for postage in the territory.

The Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd

On 8 January 1926, the Sultan of Nejd, Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, was crowned King of the Hejaz in the Grand Mosque of Mecca. On January 29, 1927, he also took the title King of Nejd, as opposed to the earlier Sultan. At the Treaty of Jeddah on May 20, 1927, Abdul Aziz's realm was recognized by the United Kingdom and was addressed as the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd. The first stamps of the new kingdom were issued in February 1926 and a number of other series were issued up until 1932. Stamp Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 1934 1 4th g

Stamp Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 1934 1 4th g

First stamps of Saudi Arabia

The first stamps marked ''Saudi Arabia'' were issued on 1 January 1934. Rossiter, Stuart & John Flower. ''The Stamp Atlas''. London: Macdonald, 1986, p.227. Regular issues have continued up to the present time, mostly on subjects relevant to life in Saudi Arabia and including a number of long-running

definitive series A definitive stamp is a postage stamp that is part of the regular issue of a country's stamps, available for sale by the post office for an extended period of time and designed to serve the everyday postal needs of the country. The term is used in ...

References

External links

Saudi Arabia philately.
{{PostalhistoryAsia Postal system of Saudi Arabia Philately of Saudi Arabia