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Kingdom of Egypt
Objective of this
exhibit is to show the stamps, varieties (essays, proofs etc.), errors
and usages of the principal issues of the Kingdom of Egypt (1922-1953),
including rarities once belonging to the Palace Collection.
The Kingdom of Egypt
was created by a treaty with Great Britain concluded in 1922 and
providing for Egypt’s independence. It
made the then ruler, Sultan Ahmed Fouad, the first King of Egypt under
the name Fouad I.
Great Britain,
however,
retained the right to station troops in Egypt and refused to consider
Egyptian claims to the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. The
British protectorate was maintained until the promulgation of a new
treaty in 1936, which promised the eventual withdrawal of British
troops. King Fouad I was succeeded by his son Farouk I.
In
1937 a further step toward sovereignty was
accomplished by an agreement (which went into effect in 1949) to end
extraterritoriality there.
After World War II
Egypt actively opposed the UN partition of Palestine in 1948 and,
joining its forces with the other members of the Arab League, sent
troops into the Negev to be bitterly repelled by the Israeli forces. In
1951, the Egyptian Parliament abrogated the
Condominium Convention (1899) and declared sole Egyptian sovereignty
over Sudan with King Farouk I as King of both countries. This, however,
had little effect in Sudan, since the British did not recognize it and
continued to govern the country. A
year
later (1952), the military, headed by General Muhammed Naguib, took
power by coup.
King Farouk I
abdicated in
favour of his infant son, Ahmed Fuad II, but in 1953 the monarchy was
abolished and a republic was declared.
Egypt
was the
first non-colonial African country to issue, and later print, its own
stamps, and was one of the first to employ photogravure as a method of
stamp printing.
A pioneer in the
use of
Airmail had also the fortune of having its Kings, Fouad I and his son
Farouk I, avid philatelists.
They both
amassed one of the richest and finest stamp collections in the world,
which, after the proclamation of the republic, was confiscated and
publicly auctioned (1954).
Thus, philately
in Egypt was among the most important of all and the quality of the
stamps issued during this period (1922-1953) one with the highest
standards ever.
During the period
under examination the following printing processes have been employed
to produce Egyptian stamps and postal stationary: typical
typography, classic recess, photogravure, lithography and embossed
printing.
The printers of
Egyptian stamps
included:
“The
Government Printing
Works”, in Boulac, Cairo, “Thomas De La Rue
& Co.
Ltd”, London, “Harrison & Sons
Ltd”, London,
“Nederland Rotogravure Maatschappaij”, Holland and
“The Survey Department of Egypt”, at Giza, Cairo.
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