MAGAN STAMPS KURDISTAN PAGE


	IRAQI KURDISTAN

About the stamps Sales List 2003 Issues 2005 Issues Sulaymaniyah Governate Issues

News received from Iraq in November 2005 is that the Iraqi Kurdistan area will be integrated into the new Iraqi postal system and Iraqi stamps will be used for postage within the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
This can only increase the rarity value of the Kurdish local stamps which were issued with the authority of the Kurdish Authorities in Erbil and Suleymaniyah. Information below about the Kurdish post office was supplied by a UN official and a former Postmaster in Iraqi Kurdistan and the following story sent by the UN official in June 2003 illustrates just how unused to stamps and post offices local people are.
"When I went to the post office to buy the stamps I was accompanied by one of our drivers. He was amazed to seeing me paying for the stamps, so he started arguing with the post clerk to get the stamps free. His argument was that a newspaper cost 5 Dinars, so how could these tiny pieces of paper cost so much more? This was the first time this young guy of some 28 years old had a stamp in his hands and knew about stamps being on sale at the post office. This was also the first time he had stepped in to a post office."
Information coloured blue in the boxes below shows the information supplied by the U.N. officer.
Due to attacks on and murders of U.N. staff in Iraq the U.N. officers were withdrawn from the region mid 2003

About the Stamps

The following information, although now outdated, gives details about Kurdish stamps and Kurdish posts and was written early 2003. Information shown in blue script was supplied by a UN official who is a stamp collector and who was working in Kurdish Iraq until mid 2003. This is real hard information about the mail within Iraqi Kurdistan, and about the use of Kurdish postage stamps which have been appearing since 1992.
The present tense has been retained but readers should remember that the information was written during 2003.
It is now evident that only the PDK [Democratic Party of Kurdistan] based in Erbil issue postage and revenue stamps for use in that area of Iraqi Kurdistan only.i.e. - postage stamps can only be used as 'locals'. They are printed in Erbil and because of the shortages of paper on which the stamps have been printed they are quite varied, even within an issue.
The Kurdish Postal Administration (PTT - Postal, Telegraph, and Telecommunications) is part of the structure of the Ministry of Communications of both Governates of Iraqi Kurdistan. The two Governates are (1) Erbil and Dohuk. (2) Sulaymaniyah. Each governate has its own President, Prime Minister, and Parliament with appointed ministers.
Stamps are usually printed in sheets of 40. The postage stamps are valid only for use in the Erbil-Dohuk region, not the Sulaymaniyah governate. This is because many of the stamps show leaders of the PDK (Democratic Party of Kurdistan) who are not accepted in Sulaymaniyah which is under the control of the PUK (Party of United Kurdistan). Sulaymaniyah governate has issued its own stamps which are sold only in the Sulaymaniyah post office.
[These stamps are simply printed on to a sheet of paper, imperforate and without gum. pictures are shown elsewhere on this page.]
There is only one post office in each area capital town. Dohuk, Erbil, Sulaimaniyah. The post offices consist of one room with a counter and an old safe in which are kept the Kurdish and Turkish postage stamps.
Revenue stamps are intended for official documents such as birth, marriage and death certificates and are also seen on work resumes and job applications to work with the United Nations.

Local Mail Movement
There is no home delivery for mail and so the telephone number of the mail recipient or a contact must be written on the envelope. Mail is carried by local transport travelling between Dohuk and Erbil - there are no postal vehicles - and when asked how long it would take for a letter posted in Erbil PO to reach Dohuk the Erbil postmaster said it would take only 48 hours. When asked how many local letters the post office had handled during the previous two weeks he replied -"None".
Mail, what little there is, is moved between the two Governates by taxi drivers, truckers, and travellers.

International Mail
It is forbidden to send mail directly to other parts of Iraq from within the now autonomous Iraqi-Kurdish region - it must travel via Turkey. Forged post-marks have been found on mail sent from Kurdistan to other areas in Iraq and this was one reason for banning direct mail. When posting mail to areas abroad from the Kurdish region Turkish stamps, which are on sale at the Kurdish post offices, must be used. Mail is then sent in bags to Turkey and distributed via Turkish Post.[To see stamps on cover sent to me from Mosul click here]
In Erbil post office is a notice advising people about which Turkish PO Box number to use for their overseas mail. International mail is carried by hand from Dohuk post office to the nearest Turkish town over the border and from there travels to Ankara and abroad.
In order to receive mail from outside the Kurdish region the Kurds have hired about thirty Post Office boxes in Turkey. Mail should be addressed to P.O. Box 4-33, Sirnak, Silopi, Turkey with the forwarding address to Kurdistan . Mail addressed to Kurdistan is then sent in bags to the main Kurdish Post Office where the letters are distributed to the Kurdish addresses. In actual fact there is little mail communication with the area. Kurds from the area living in the United States and Europe tend to communicate with family in that area of Iraq by telephone, fax, and email. Iraqi Kurds in the U.S. use a U.K. based telephone provider.

Postal Cancellations
Most covers will be found with a rectangular ARAIL P.O. postmark. This should read ARBIL and means ERBIL, the capital of Erbil Governate. Erbil is also known as HAWLER as seen on one the first sets of postage stamps. Recent postmarks from Erbil show the year as 2001 - even those cancelled in 2003. This is because the one date stamp can not go beyond 2001.

Revenue Stamps
Two Revenue stamps were issued during the latter months of 2000. [picture] Two others were issued in the following months - see Revenue page for more details.
Revenue stamps are intended for official documents such as birth, marriage and death certificates and are also seen on work resumes and job applications to work with the United Nations.

The stamps shown below first appeared in 1993 when the overprinted 1977 Iraq issue of The Dome of The Rock [SG1291 - ScottRA23 - Mi912] was issued. Another set of stamps showing the Kurdistan National Assembly Building was issued simultaneously - according to the FDC's, both issues of which are dated 4th June 1993 - and the margins of the sheets of 'Kurdish Assembly Building' set has, in English and in bold print, THE FIRST EVER KURDISH POSTAGE STAMP [picture] and each stamp value shows the date in English - 1993 at the top and 1992 at the bottom! Later issues showed 1993 at top and bottom.[Strictly speaking the first Kurdish postage stamps were the 'Sheikh Mahmoud' issues of 1923]
In the early months of the year 2000 the perforating machine in Erbil broke down and imperforate sets were offered for sale for a while, then stamps with terribly rough perforations appeared.
Also please note that earlier information indicated that only the first two issues were actually officially valid for postage, but announcements in Kurdish newspapers and on Kurdish official websites gave details of later issues officially sanctioned by the Kurdish authorities.
Please note that the title and stamps are described by supplier. During 1998 there were many stamps depicting scenes in the Kurdish region and breaking these issues down into recognised/official sets is now an impossible task. For this reason I show the stamps in 'sets' as described by suppliers and as sent to me from Iraq.
Sets of four have values of 1,2,3, and 5 Iraqi Dinars.


4th June 1993. [Ref.#1] SG1291 ‘Dome of The Rock’ with a vertical, usually quite faint, One Dinar overprint. There are 2 types of overprint - see illustration. Click on picture to see enlargement. FDC’s with a rectangular cancellation ARAIL P.O. 4 JUN 1993 were also issued but these are very rare.[picture] Click on picture to enlarge	2 stamps One of each type £10.00
4th June 1993. [Ref.#2] ‘National Assembly of Kurdistan Building’. Stamps with Arabic and English script and inscribed ‘National Assembly of Kurdistan 4/6/1992’ on the bottom but with the date 1993 on the top. 2 stamps with peelable yellow backing, values 2 ID and 3 ID, with same view of Kurdish National Assembly Building. The stamps are printed on shiny paper. A FDC was issued with rectangular ARAIL P.O. 4 JUN 1993 [picture] - the same canceller as used on the ‘Dome of The Rock’ FDC. These are also rare.The self adhesive sets have rough perfs. 10.5 X 10.5 and printing faults. Click on picture to enlarge	£10.00
4th June 1993. [Ref.#3] Ungummed stamps on white paper of same design as above. A 1 ID value has been added to the series. The value in English on the 2 ID has been modified from first issue [was ID2] but 3 ID has not. Click on picture to enlarge ‘	not available
[Ref.#4] Overprint on SG1891 [15th Oct. 1989] Tourism issue showing Arbil [Erbil as we know it] and Kurdish girls in colourful Kurdish dresses. Overprints are applied either horizontally [left stamp] or vertically and are usually are very faint. Click on picture to enlarge	not available
14/3/1997. [Ref.#5] Stamp showing Serok Barzani [1903 - 1979] the leader of the Kurdish rebels for many years. 3 identical stamps with different values of 1 ID, 2 ID, 5 ID. . Rough perfs. All values printed within one sheet but very few 5 ID values. At present only 1 ID and 2 ID values available as singles, pairs, blocks, subject to availability.	£4.00 per stamp
11/9/1997 [Ref.#6] Hawler [Erbil], Capital of Kurdistan. 4 stamps with same design. 1 ID brown, 2 ID blue, 5 ID black/grey, 5 ID yellow. The yellow 5 ID is described as very rare by my supplier. This could be true, as sets from another source did not include the 5 ID value. The black 5 ID It is of a higher quality than the other 3 stamps which seem to have gum brushed onto them [as do the stamps of the Serok Barzani issue] and has cleaner perfs and even gum. Perf. 10.5 Click on picture to see full set	Set of 4 £25.00 Set of 3 [No yellow] £15.00
21/3/1998 [Ref.#7] Spring Festival. One mulicoloured stamp, value 2 ID. Clean and even perforations 11 X 11. Gum again appears to be brushed on to the back of the sheets but a better job has been made than on the previous issues. Perf. 10.75 Click on picture to enlarge	£5.00
April 1998 [Ref.#8] ‘Calender Day Memory’ is how this issue is described by my correspondent. A 1 ID stamp with head & shoulders portrait of a man. Possibly commemoration of a poet. The numbers 22 and 100 are printed in red and a date April 1998 in purple. Again, rough perfs around 11 X 11 & brushed gum. Click on picture to enlarge	£3.00
1998 [Ref.#9] Thematic set of 4. 1 ID shows grouse/partridge type bird, 2 ID a mountain goat, 3 ID a freshwater fish, 4 ID a tree. Perf 11 X 11 Click on picture to see full set	not available
1998 [Ref.#10] Kurdish Cities. Set of 4 Arabic and Kurdish script. Perf 10.75 Click on picture to see full set	not available
1998 [Ref.#11] Kurdish Monuments. Set of 4 issued late 1998. Arabic and Kurdish script. Perf 10.75 Click on picture to see full set	not available
21/04/1999 [Ref.#12] Single stamp "Second Computer & Communications Conference". This stamp was printed in same sheet as one of the Kurdish Monuments set - see picture Click on picture to enlarge	not available
1999 [Ref.#13] Kurdish Costumes - first set. 4 Stamps showing men & women in traditional Kurdistani costumes. Click on picture to see full set	not available
1999 [Ref.#14] Kurdish Costumes - second set. 4 Stamps showing men & women in traditional Kurdistani costumes. Click on picture to see full set	not available
15/11/1999 [Ref.#15] Kurdish TV Satellite. Set of 4 Stamps. The date is printed in English but as in Arabic i.e. from right to left 1999-11-15 Click on picture to see full set	not available

Suddenly large sets of stamps began to appear, starting with a set of 21 'Flowers'. These were printed se-tenant within sheets of different values [1ID, 2ID, 3ID, 5ID]. Most peculiarly 2 of the 3ID se-tenant pairs were of a flower and a building! Stamps are sold as a set of 20 Flowers + 2 Buildings. All the stamps had the date '1999' in English printed on them, and several of the 5 ID values had the word 'POSTAGE' printed as 'POTAGE'. These are being sold as errors on web auction sites.


1999 [Ref.#16] Flowers set of 21 flower stamps plus 2 buildings! Click on picture to see full set	not available
1999 [Ref.#17] Serok Barzani 5ID stamp showng year 1999 with mis-spelt postage as 'POTAGE'. Has been seen offered as an error on Ebay but the whole printing had this spelling error. Click on picture to see enlargement	£5.00
2000 [Ref.#18] Technology - Set of 7 Issued imperf. when perfing machine broke down. Also available perforate - perfs. are very rough. To see example of just how rough, look at this [picture] Click on picture to see imperf set	not available
2000 [Ref.#19] Set of 6. I don't know what this set signifies, but as a couple of stamps show children I'll call it "Children". Printed both perf. & imperf Click on picture to see imperf set	not available
2000 [Ref.#20] Set of 4. Three Butterflies and one bee. These were issued both perf & imperf. Click on picture to see set	not available
2000 [Ref.#21] Set of 14 people with different turbans. Possible a set showing headwear of various tribes or sects, or tribal leaders/personalities. Any information about the turbans or stamps will be welcome. Click on picture to see set	not available
2000 [Ref.#22] Set of six people. Any information about the people shown will be welcome. Click on picture to see set	not available
2000 [Ref.#23] Set of farm animals and birds. Click on picture to see set	not available
2000 [Ref.#24] Farm produce - vegetables. Click on picture to see set	not available
2000 [Ref.#25] An imperf. 165mm X 120mm [6.5ins X 5ins] miniature sheet showing 6 stamps from various issues. Also available as a postcard. [Only postcard available]	£8.00
2002 [Ref.#26] In February 2002 the following 24 stamps appeared. The print quality, centering, and in some cases the perforations show a marked improvement over the preceding issues. Although I can not now offer all 24 stamps most are available at £1.00 each Click on picture to see set	£1.00 per stamp
2003 [Ref.#27] Set of eight stamps. Political [1]Mulla Mustafa Barzani. [2] Qazi Mohammed, "President" of Kingdom of Mahabad and excecuted by Iranians. [3] Mulla Mustafa Barzani [4] Bird [5] Shaikh Abdul Salam Barzani [6] Mulla Mustafa Barzani [7] Kurdish Parliament building [8] Celebrating 100th anniversary of birth of Mulla Mustaf Barzani on 15th March 1903. Picture shows his grave. NB. The 1 ID of Sheikh Abdul Salam Barzani in soldiers uniform is no longer available but will be replaced by a 5ID stamp showing Kurdish soldiers manning an anti-aircraft gun. See stampClick on picture to see set	£9.00
2003 [Ref.#28] Set of ten stamps which includes a bird, butterfly, squirrel, and symbolic bird. Click on picture to see set	£15.00
2003 [Ref.#29] Set of eight stamps. Political leaders. [1] Edriss Barzani, son of Mulla Mustafa Barzani & brother of Masoud Barzani who is currently head of PDK. [2] Sheikh Mahmood Hafid, self proclaimed King of Kurdistan at beginning of 20th century and whose kingdom was located in Mahabad, Iran and part of territory of Sulaimania [3]Qazi [Judge} Mohammed. "President" of Kingdom of Mahabad and excecuted by Iranians. [4]Mulla Mustafa Barzani, father of Masoud & Edriss. Leader of Kurdish revolution which started in Barzani area of Erbil close to Turkish & Iranian borders. [5]Shaikh Saeedy Peeran [6]Shaikh Abdul Salam Barzani who started Kurdish opposition in Barzani area before Mulla Mustafa Barzani. [7]Mulla Mustafa Barzani [8]Shaikh Abdul Salam BarzaniClick on picture to see set	£9.00
2005 [Ref.#30] In 2005 a new set of 23 stamps appeared. The designs on the stamps are a mixture of previous issues but with new values and completely new designs which would not have been possible in earlier years. e.g. a Kurdistan Airlines airliner and scenes at Erbil Airport. The stamp values are now much higher and the set has 6 stamps valued at 50 ID, 10 at 150ID, 3 at 300ID, and 4 at 500ID. Click on picture to see set	£20.00

REVENUES
In the latter months of 2000 two revenue stamps for use in Iraqi Kurdistan only were issued, and in early 2001 two higher values were issued....[picture]
see Revenues page for details.

Sulaymaniyah Governate Issues

So far not seen on any covers or offered from any dealers in Iraq these stamps were purchased by the UN official in Sulaymaniyah. The stamps are offset printed and probably in small sheets of 40 [5 X 8] , imperf, and without gum. So far there is no evidence of their use, unlike the issues from Erbil & Dohuk Governate. I will attempt to get more details of these stamps and will publish it here should further information be obtained.
Picture of stamps - enlarged Picture of part sheet

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