Malta - Year of Planet Earth

Year 2008 was designated by the UN as International Year of Earth Planet. Malta has issued a special stamp to commemorate the Year. The stamp was launched on August 11 ,2008.

Malta - Year of Planet Earth

Another country which has stamps issued to commemorate yhe IYPE is Spain.

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Jordan - Dead Sea Scroll

Jordan - Dead Sea Scroll (1965)


Jordan has issued a stamp depicting image of Dead Sea Scroll. The stamp was issued on Setember 23, 1965. The Dead Sea Scroll was found by a young Bedouin sepherds in 1947. Read about it - here.

More stamps with interesting themes are available here - graphic-stamps.org . Stamps on topics such as papyrus, Qur'an, famous printed books etc were catalogued.

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Cuba - 1st Cuban Astronaut

Cuba - The 1st Cuban-Soviet space flight (1980)

Cuba has join the cosmonaut fray quite early. The first Cuban-Soviet space flight was launched in 1980 . The ceremony was remembered by the issuing of a commemorative stamp. Tamayo-Mendez was the first Cuban astronaut. He joined Soyuz 38 space flight with a Soviet astronaut Romanenko on September 18,1980. He was also recognized as the first black man into space.

More stamps from Cuba are available - here. Read also about many other the first in space - here (spacetoday).

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Tunisia - Abidine Mosque

Tunisia: El-Abidine Mosque, Carthage (2004)

El-Abidine Mosque was built at Carthage. The mosque is one of Tunisian leader (Zine El Abidine Ben Ali) presidential project. Abidine ruled Tunisia since November 1987. The building of El-Abidine Mosque providing for Muslem Carthage a high place for worship and theological research, and also forming also a masterpiece of Arab Muslim Art. A Tunisia stamp depicting the image of Abidine Mosque was issued on November 11, 2004.

A real image of Abidine Mosque (Source - structurae)

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Oman - White Cane Day

A white cane is associated to the blind and October 15 each year was designated as White Cane Safety Day. The Sultanate of Oman has issued a postage stamp on 15 October 2004, of an unusually large size (8 x 9 cm). Apart from the Arabic and English, the stamp has the embossed writing, the Braille, enabling the blind to read it. This feature makes the stamp unique. Besides, it has the emblem of the Al Noor, the Association for the Blind Sultanate of Oman.

Oman - International White Cane Day (2004)

Catalogue contains of more Oman stamp are available - here. A good collection of stamps related to disable person can be seen - here.

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Slovakia - TUK's 50 Years Anniversary

Slovakia - TUK's 50 Years Anniversary (2002)

Technical University of Kosice was established in 1952. TUK is the second largest technical university in Slovakia. The largest technical university is still the Slovakia University. A special stamp to commemorate the 50th anniversary of TUK was issued on October 17, 2002.

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Azerbaijan - Walk in Space Anniversary

A Soviet cosmonaut - Alexei Leonov, became the first human to ever walk in the vacuum of space. He braved 10 minute outside the Voshkod 2 spacecraft which was recognized as the first walk in space on March 18, 1965. Read the story about Leonov mission - here and about Voshkod spacecraft activities - here.

Azerbaijan - 40th Anniversary of First Walk in Space (2005)

A commemorative stamp to honor the 40th anniversary of first walk in space was issued by Azerbaijan postal authority. The stamp was launched on June 1, 2005.

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More about walk in space and other topics related to physics in space are available - here.

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Indonesia - Admiral Xheng He Exploration

Another big name in the subject of exploration and navigation is a Chinese Admiral Xheng He. He is famous for exploration to places include South East Asia (Java, Singapore & Malacca). Indonesia has issued a stamp to honor the 600th anniversary of Admiral Xheng He's voyage. The stamp was launched on June 28, 2005.

Indonesia - Admiral Xheng He Voyage (2005)

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Nicaragua - 500th Anniversary of Discovery

Nicaragua

Nicaragua was discovered by Christopher Columbus more than 500 years ago. An article in HowStuffWorks (on History of Nicaragua) stated that Columbus reached Nicaragua in 1502 on his last voyage. Nicaraguan postal authority has issued two stamps to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the discovery of Nicaragua. The stamps were issued officially on September 12, 2002.

Nicaragua - 500 Years Discovery (2002)

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Macedonia - Marco Polo

Another big name in exploration history is Marco Polo. Year 2004 marked the 750th anniversary of the birth of Marco Polo. Macedonia has issued a special stamp to commemorate the occasion. The stamp was launcehd on November 10, 2004.

Macedonia - Marco Polo (2004)

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Morocco - Ibnu Batutta

Morocco - Ibnu Batutta (2004)


Ibnu Batutta was a famous explorer and navigator. A special stamp to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Batutta was issued by Morocco. The stamp was launched on February 24, 2004.

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Spain_Al-Idrisi

Spain: Al-Idrisi (2006)

Al-Idrisi is a famous Muslim geographer. Spain has honoring Idrisi by a special stamp issued on June 15, 2006. The stamp was issued under the theme of famous celebrities - probably on the occasion of the 840th anniversary of his death (i.e., 1166).

Al-Idrisi (1100 - 1166) was an Arab geographer, cartographer an traveler who live in Sicily. A biography of him can be read - here.

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Djibouti - 30 Years Independence

Djibouti - 30 Years of Independence (2007)


Djibouti gains its independence from colonial France in 1977. The 30th anniversary of independence was marked by Djibouti in 2007. To commemorate such occassion a special stamp was issued on June 27, 2007.

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Tunisia - Ibnu Khaldun

Tunisia - Ibnu Khaldun

A stamp in honor of Ibnu Khaldun was issued by Tunisia in 2006. The stamp was launched on March 15, 2006 to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the death of Ibnu Khaldun. He died in 1406.

Another Ibnu Khaldun's death anniversary stamp (issued by Egypt) is available - here.

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Chile - Grand Lodgers Conference

Chile - World Grand Lodges Conference


Chile probaly was the host to the VII World Conference of Grand Lodgers. The conference held in Santiago in May 2004. As a commemorative to such event the Chile postal authority has issued a special stamp on May 5, 2004.

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Saudi Arabia - Riyadh Book Fair

Saudi capital Riyadh has hosted an International Book Fair. The event took place in September 2006. Saudi postal authority has issued a special stamp to commemorate the event. The stamp was officially launched on 9 September 2006.

Saudi Arabia - Riyadh International Book Fair (2006)

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Algeria - Student Day

Algeria - Student Day (2006)

It is very rare to hear such thing as Student Day. But after glancing through the philatelic resource it was found that Algeria has issued a stamp to honor the Student Day. So surely Student Day is exist at least in Algeria. The above stamp clearly depicted 19 May as Student Day in Algeria and it was actually the 50th anniversary.

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Tunisia - Most Current '09

Tunisia (5 May '09)

The most current stamp issued by Tunisian Postal Authority (as up to this date) was officially launched on May 5, 2009. The stamp is to commemorate the 18th Congress of the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War.

The First Day Cover

More about Tunisia stamps and FDCs are available - here.

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Madagascar - Road Safety Day

In 2004, for the first time in the WHO history, World Health Day was focused on the theme of road safety. In order to commemorate the Year the postal authority of Madagascar has issued a special stamp with the theme World Day for Health & Road Safety. The stamp was officially launched on Oct 9 2004.

Madagascar - World Day for Health & Road Safety

World Day for & Road Safety 2004 tried to advocate a "systems approach" to road safety, which takes into consideration the key aspects of the system: the road user, the vehicle and the infrastructure.

Read about the UN World Day for Health programme - here. The site also highlight stamps issued by respective countries.

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India - Consumer Rights Day

India - World Consumer Rights Day


On 15 March 2006 India has issued a special stamp to commemorate the World Consumer Rights Day.

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Tunisia - World Meteorological Day

March 23 every year was designated by the UN as World Meteorological Day. On 23 March 2008 Tunisia has issued a special stamp to commemorate 2008 WMD.

Tunisia - World Meteorological Day (23 March 2008)

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Visit UN WMD website (World Meteorological Organization) - here.

Qatar_No Tobacco Day

Qatar: No-Tobacco Day (31 May 2003)

UN has designated 31st May every year as World No-Tobacco Day. Naturally there were stamps issued by a number of countries to recognize the day. Qatar has issued a special stamp to commemorate the No-Tobacco Day. Read more information on WNTD here - including the theme used every year. For instance the 2007 theme was smoke-free environments.

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France - Ahmad Shah Masoud

Ahmad Shah Masoud was known as Afghanistan National Hero. He was recognized so by Afghan Post which has issued a stamp depicting his image. Masoud was killed in 2001 in the height of power struggle in Afghanistan at that time. He was assassinated on September 9, 2001 (two days before the historic date of Sept 11, 2001). Read an article written by Paul Wolf on Masoud's assassination - here.

France - Ahmad Shah Masoud (2003)

France has followed Afghanistan acknowledging Masoud as hero in a stamp. The stamp was issued on 10 September 2003. The date was chosen probably as to commemorate Masoud's 5oth anniversary.

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Czech Republic - Braille

Louis Braille (1809-1852) needs no introduction. He has developed the Braille system which contributed so much to help the blind. Czech Republic has issued a stamp in honor to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Louis Braille. The stamp was launched on 2 January 2009.

Czech Republic - Louis Braille (2009)

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Azerbaijan - 35 Years Internet

Azerbaijan - 35 Years of Internet

The internet was first introduced in 1969. The year 2004 saw the world community celebrate the 35th anniversary of internet. The Azerbaijan postal authority has issued a commemorative stamp to mark the event. The stamp was officially launched on 29 September 2004.

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Bahrain - World Health Day

Bahrain - World Health Day (2003)

World Health Day was officially designated on April 7 anually. On April 7, 2003, Bahrain has issued two stamps to commemorate the event .

Bahrain - World Health Day (2003)

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Visit UN World Health Day website - here.

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Saudi Arabia - The Black Stone

Saudi Arabia - Kaaba's Black Stone

Hajar Aswad or the Black Stone was depicted as an image of a stamp issued by Saudi Arabia. The stamp was issued on March 29, 1998. Hajar Aswad is one of sacred in Islamic tradition. It is said originated from heaven.

Another discussion about the Black Stone (from a western pespective of view) can be read here. An excerpt is given here (not to contradict the Muslim view but rather to serve as reference to stamps on meteorite theme). A lots of stamps with meteorite images were available from the site mentioned.

On March 29, 1998 Saudi Arabia issued a stamp depicting the holy black Kaaba stone in Mecca. The stone sits in the northeastern outside corner of the Kaaba building towards which Moslems pray five times daily. Moslems consider the Kaaba stone one of their holiest relics. Tradition says the stone fell from heaven, so it may be a meteorite or an impactite -- impact glass formed by sand and meteorite fragments fused together by the heat of a meteorite impact in sand. One Arabian source of impactite is the Wabar meteorite craters located about 1,070 kilometers east of Mecca. However, recent studies suggest these craters formed too recently to be the source for the Kaaba stone. See Bradley E. Schaefer's article Meteors that changed the world for more information about the Kaaba stone.

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Nigeria (Anti-Apertheid Year)

Nigeria - IAAY (1978)

The year of 1978-79 has been recognized by the UN as International Anti-Apartheid Year. Nigeria is one of the country which has a special stamp to commemorate such occasion. The stamp was officially issued on 10 December 1979.

(Source - read here)

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Taiwan - Year of Physics

Year 2005 was recognized by the UN as the International Year of Physics. A number of countries have issued a special stamp to commemorate the occasion. Taiwan is one of them.

Taiwan - IYP (2005)

The following remark is taken from Taiwan Post describing about the stamp -

"The stamp features a head of Einstein in sharp contrast, which conveys his greatness. The upper part of the background is a colorful representation of time as the fourth dimension to echo his theories of time and space. The gradually fading blue and green convey the laws of nature. A sphere of red light symbolizes Einstein’s contribution, like a sun pushing forward human civilization. The lower part of the stamp features his name “EINSTEIN”, which is combined with the symbols for a photon and the science of electricity. The color blue represents technology, and “E=mc2” - the widely known formula of Einstein’s special theory of relativity - is cleverly included within the “E”."

The FDC

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The IYP's stamp full sheet

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More collection on IYP stamps worldwide available here. Another source is here (Poland-based) with collection of papers and website about IYP. A full list of countries issuing IYP stamps is listed here.

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M'sia Stamps 2004

There were a total of thirteen stamp series issued by Pos Malaysia in 2004. The list were as follows;


1. Historical Buildings - Lighthouse (31 Jan)

2. Biological Diversity & Biosafety (9 Feb)

3. Silver Jubilee of Sultan Kelantan (29 Feb) - n/a

4. Tourism Ministaers Meeting (19 Mac) - n/a

5. National Service Programme (22 May)

6. M'sia-China Diplomatic Anniversary (31 May)

7. M'sian Forest Wildlife (14 June)

8. Multimedia Super Corridor (1 July)

9. Main Ports of M'sia (24 July) - n/a

10. Traditional Transportation (18 Aug)

11. 100 Years Matang Mangroves (4 Oct)

12. Marine Life Series (9 Oct)

13. Medicinal Plants (11 Dec)

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Italy - DNA

DNA is an interesting topic discussed by many parties worldwide. On the philatelic interest there are a number of DNA stamps already issued. The one shown here is an Italian stamp issued in 2002. It was issued to honour TeleThon - which is an Italian foundation for the study of muscular distrophy and other genetic diseases.

Italia - Left hand DNA (2002)

For those who are interested to find info as well as more stamps on DNA/genetic issues there are a couple of sites worth visit. A site which is dedicated on the development of left hand DNA is available - here.

There are plenty of stamps on the topic of genetic worldwide collected by an enthusiast -rmaldonado. Another interesting site is - here -where by it discussed how DNA has been potrayed on philatelic issues.

Visit Italian Philatelic Society - to get more info on Italian stamps.

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Afghanistan - Al-Biruni

This is an old stamp from Afghanistan. The stamp depicted the image of Al-Biruni was issued in 1973. It is issued to commemorate one thousand anniversary of Al-Biruni.

Al-Biruni (973-1048)

Al-Biruni is a famous mathematician. His full name is Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni. He is considered a pioneer in mathematical geography and geodesy.

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Morroco - Chella Gate

The postal authority of Morroco (i.e., Barid al Maghrib) has issued a stamp featuring one of the famous landmark in Rabat - Chella Gate. The stamp was issued under the theme of architecture in February 2002.

Bab Chellah or Chella Gate

The gate was build by Merineds in the 13th century.


Chella Gate - the real image ( source: travel-images)

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Christmas Island - Mosque

Another stamp depicting the image of a mosque was found. This time it is a Christmas Island (Australia) stamp issued in 2006.

Christmas Island (June 2006) - Mosque

According to a source - this mosque is known as Kampong Mosque.

Another view of Kampong Mosque, Christmas Island

And another better view ! (source - click)

The mosque is located at Flying Fish Cove - a Malay community area. Read about community life at CX here.

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Macedonia - Isaac Celebi Mosque

It is jubilant to hear the presence of a mosque in country like Macedonia. And it is even more interesting to note that Macedonska Post (Postal authority of Macedonia) has issued a special stamp depicting the image of Isaac Celebi Mosque in Macedonia.

Macedonia stamp (Mac 2006) - Isaac Celebi Mosque

According to a source - this mosque was built in 1483 by Isaac Bey and it was originally called Aladza, which means colourful. Besides Isaac Celebi Mosque there appeared a few other mosques throughout Macedonia.

Another view of Isaac Mosque


Another source (Evliya Celebi) reported that a total of 120 temples in Skopje, 45 of which large mosques. The best known among these include the Isaac Bey Mosque, built in 1438; the Mosque of Murad Haynukar, built in 1436; the Mosque of Koca Mustafa Pasha, built in 1491; the Mosque of Burmali, built in 1495, but since destroyed; and the Mosque of Jahja Pasha, built in 1504 and including a 50-meter high minaret. Bitola was enriched by the Isac Mosque, built over 1508-09; the Yeni Mosque, built in 1559; and the Mosque of Yahdar-Kadi, built in 1562 by Koca Sinan, the most prominent Ottoman architect of the time. Celebi lists 70 Moslem mosques in Bitola. Later, in the 17th century, the Colourful Mosque was built in Tetovo, richly decorated with beautiful ornaments.

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Argentina - Islamic Center

On 6 August 2005, the stamp issuing authority in Argentina (i.e. Correo oficial de la Republica Argentina) has issued a set of stamps under the theme - Historically and architecturally valuable religious temples. One of the stamp depicting the prayer congregation place for the Muslim - Islamic Centre of the Argentine Republic.

Argentina (2005) - Islamic Centre of the Argentine Republic.

. . .

The following text is written on the stampp - Centro Islamico de la Republica Argentina. Mezquita Al Ahmad, Ciudad de Buenos Aires

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Thailand - Friendship Bridge

Thailand stamp (1994) - Friendship Bridge

In 1994 Thai Post has issued a special stamp to commemorate the opening of the Friendship Bridge linking Thai and Laos. The bridge is also known as Mittaphap Bridge, and its full name is Thai Saphan Mittaphap Thai-Lao, translated as the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge (source - asiaexplorers).

Another view of the Friendship bridge (Source - asiaexplorers)

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Algeria - Miguel de Cervantes

In 2005 Algeria has issued a special stamps depicting the photograph of a well known writer Miguel de Cervantes. Who is Miguel de Carvantes? What he has got to do with Algeria? Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) is a Spainiard writer. He is also a famous explorer and sailor. Actually the Algerian stamp with the image of Miguel is been issued with the theme - Explorer and Navigation. Geographically, Spain is so close to Algeria and Miguel surely has navigate the Algerian coast on his exploration voyage.

Algeria stamp - Miguel de Cervantes

On another front Miguel de Cervantes was also known for his literature skills. He has wrote a number of books. Being a writer he was rememberred fondly and the date of his death (23 April 1616) was celebrated as the World Book Day (read here - in Malay language). World Book Day is a yearly event on 23rd April organized by Unesco to promote reading and publishing.

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