Fauna on cover from Republic of Artsakh

This is another cover from Republic of Artsakh (ex-Nagorno-Karabakh). This time sender used on cover whole set of se-tenant stamps Fauna of Republic of Artsakh, issued on 17.10.2018.

First animal is squirrel, member of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs amongst other rodents. The earliest known squirrels date from the Eocene period and are most closely related to the mountain beaver and to the dormouse among other living rodent families.

Second animal is Felis silvestris, European wildcat native to continental Europe, Scotland, Turkey and the Caucasus. It inhabits forests from the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Central and Eastern Europe to the Caucasus. It has been extirpated in England and Wales.

Third animal is  wild boar (Sus scrofa), native to much of Eurasia, North Africa, and the Greater Sunda Islands. Human intervention has spread its distribution further, making the species one of the widest-ranging mammals in the world, as well as the most widely spread suiform.The animal probably originated in Southeast Asia during the Early Pleistocene, and outcompeted other suid species as it spread throughout the Old World.


Thank you, Serg!

Winter Olympic Games 2018 on cover from Republic of Artsakh

Republic of Artsakh is a new name for the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,  de facto independent country in the South Caucasus that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. I already received covers from Nagorno-Karabakh, but this my first cover with new name on stamps. On this nice cover you can see full set Winter Olympic Games 2018, issued on 16.2.2018.


Thank you Serg!

The First Indonesian Presidential Cars

I received wonderful cover with minisheet The First Indonesian Presidential Cars, issued on 17.8.2004. The first President of Republic of Indonesia Sukarno used several cars as his presidential cars, and you can see on first stamp 1938 Buick-8, and on second stamp is 1942 DeSoto.
At the bottom of this cover is one additional stamp, cause minisheet was not enough for worldwide postage.  This stamp is from set Year of the Rabbit, issued on 25.1.2011.



Thank you Irene!

Nelson Mandela on cover from South Africa

Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by tackling institutionalised racism and fostering racial reconciliation. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress party from 1991 to 1997.

Mandela was born in 1918, and many countries issued stamps to mark centenary of his birth last year.
Minisheet on the right was one of many issued to celebrate that event, but this one is joint issue with Germany, released on 18.7.2018. Other stamps on cover:

The 300th Anniversary of Stellenbosch (Oldest Town in South Africa), issued on 8.11.1979.
Moore's Crinum, issued on 1.7.2013.
Eland (from set Tugboats), issued on 13.5.1994.
The 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Amajuba, issued on 27.2.1981.

Inside cover was 3 minisheets with Mandela: already mentioned joint issue with Germany, joint issue with Pan African Postal Union (also released on 18.7.2018.) and The 90th Anniversary of the Birth of Nelson Mandela, issued on 15.7.2008.


Thank you Willy!

FDC from Pakistan: IDEAS - Arms for peace 2018

The International Defence Exhibition and Seminar, more commonly referred to as IDEAS, is a defence sector event, held biannually, in Pakistan. The Pakistan government attaches a high level of importance to IDEAS; despite the fact that it attracts a large number of delegates, it is seen as a vehicle for facilitating their own indigenous arms trade. Pakistani post commemorated IDEAS 2018 with this First day cover issued on 27.11.2018.

 Sender added additional postage on the back of the cover:
First and third stamps are from set Pakistan Victory in 2017 International Cricket Cup, issued on 2.11.2017. Second stamp is from set The 60th Anniversary of His Highness The Aga Khan, issued on 8.12.2017.


Thank you Abu!

Tanzania: Stone Town in Zanzibar

Stone Town is the old part of Zanzibar City, the main city of Zanzibar, in Tanzania. Stone Town is located on the western coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago. Former capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate, and flourishing center of the spice trade as well as the slave trade in the 19th century, it retained its importance as the main city of Zanzibar during the period of the British protectorate. When Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined each other to form the United Republic of Tanzania, Zanzibar kept a semi-autonomous status, with Stone Town as its local government seat.

Stone Town is a city of prominent historical and artistic importance in East Africa. Its architecture, mostly dating back to the 19th century, reflects the diverse influences underlying the Swahili culture, giving a unique mixture of Arab, Persian, Indian and European elements. For this reason, the town was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

 This nice giraffe stamp from set Wildlife of Tanzania, issued on 13.2.2017.

Thank you Wolfgang!

Afghanistan: Postcard sent from Bagram base, missent to Rammstein base

This is my first postcard from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, war-torn country in Asia. As a result of most recent war, there's a several American and NATO bases, and most famous is Bagram Air Base, largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan. It is located next to the ancient city of Bagram, 11 kilometres southeast of Charikar in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. It has a dual runway capable of handling any size military aircraft, including Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy and Antonov An-225. Bagram Air Base is occupied by the Afghan Armed Forces and the US-led Resolute Support Mission.

Postcard is sent from Bagram Air Base, but unfortunately it's not cancelled there. But there's nice "missent" cancellation from APO AE 09012, and that's Rammstein Air Base in Germany.


Thank you Uly!

Flora and fauna on cover from Indonesia

I received another beautiful cover from Indonesia with nice fauna and flora stamps. First three stamps are from set Flora and Fauna: Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus) and Spectral Tarsier (Tarsius spectrum). This set is issued on 5.11.1998. Bellow them is se-tenant set of stamps Environmental Protection : Bamboo Forest, issued on 5.6.2018.


Thank you Irene!

Cover from Canadian Christmas Island, Nova Scotia

Christmas Island, Nova Scotia is a Canadian community of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. It has a post office, a firehall and a very small population. Christmas Island got its name because of a native that lived there whose surname was Christmas. He died on Ghost Island, adjacent to the beach. The post office of Christmas Island gets thousands of postcards and packages a day—up to two thousand on the busiest days—during the peak holiday time frame. These come from around the world during Christmas time so they can be sent on to their destinations with the unique Christmas Island postmark, like this one, in nice red and green colors. Stamps on cover are from set Christmas - Warm and Cozy, issued on 2.11.2018.


Thank you very much, Trevor!

Bujumbura, former capital of Burundi

Bujumbura is the former capital, largest city and main port of Burundi. But this postcard is sent in November 2018, while Bujumbura was still capital city. Gitega is new capital city from 24.12.2018. It is on the north-eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest lake in the world after Lake Baikal. The city center is a colonial town with a large market, the national stadium, a large mosque, and the cathedral for the Archdiocese of Bujumbura. Museums in the city include the Burundi Museum of Life and the Burundi Geological Museum. Other nearby attractions include the Rusizi National Park, the Livingstone-Stanley Monument at Mugere (where David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley visited 14 days after their first historic meeting at Ujiji in Tanzania), the presidential palace and the source of the southernmost tributary of the Nile, described locally as the source of the Nile.

Fantastic 2018 stamp with ruff (Calidris pugnax), but i didn't find and further  info about this stamp.



Thank you Wolfgang and Nibizi!

Cover from Palestine

I received cover from Palestine, from Gaza City. On postmark you can see inscription Omar el Mokhtar, that's a main street in Gaza City, running from Palestine Square to the Port of Gaza in the Rimal district, separating the Old City's al-Daraj and Zaytoun quarters. Gaza's hotel strip is a part of Omar Mukhtar Street and most of Gaza's most important buildings are located along the street. Built during World War I by Ottoman governor Jamal Pasha, the street was originally named after him. However, following the ouster of Ottoman forces from Palestine in 1917, Gaza's city council headed by Fahmi al-Husseini named the street after Omar Mukhtar, a Libyan revolutionary leader.
Stamp on cover is from set Postage Stamps of the British Mandate in Palestine, issued on 17.5.1995.


Thank you Bahjat!

Icons on cover from Faroe Islands

Faroese post issued set of two stamps for Christmas, which shows religious icons. First stamp is work of Faroese artist Astrid Andreasen, and second is Russian icon, which Carl Niclasen from Tórshavn bought  in 1970 from Curt Berndorff Antikviteter in Copenhagen. The home of the icon is in the Christian Orthodox Church, also called the Eastern Church, which is richly decorated with icons. It plays an important role in the worship service as well as in the everyday life of orthodox Christians. Stamps are issued in 24.9.2018.


Thank you Rosmarie!

World Post Day on cover from Malaysia

World Post day happens each year on October 9, the anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which started in 1874 in Switzerland. The UPU was the start of the global communications revolution, introducing the ability to write to others all over the world. World Post Day started in 1969. Since then, countries all over the world take part in celebrations to highlight the importance of the postal service, and many release stamps to mark this day. One of this countries is Malaysia, with this stamps issued 9.10.2018.


Thank you Raymond!

Peru: Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel, located in the Cusco Region. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. The Incas built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was not known to the Spanish during the colonial period and remained unknown to the outside world until American historian Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911.  Its three primary structures are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of how they originally appeared. By 1976, thirty percent of Machu Picchu had been restored and restoration continues. Machu Picchu was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.

Nice complete set of stamps on postcard: The 50th Anniversary of the First Europa Postage Stamps, issued on 24.11.2005. No hand cancellation on stamps, only pale machine cancellation on bottom of the postcard.


Thank you Andrés!

Flags of the World Series: Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a country in the northeastern part of Africa, popularly known as the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south. With over 102 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent.

Some of the oldest skeletal evidence for anatomically modern humans has been found in Ethiopia. Tracing its roots to the 2nd millennium BC, Ethiopia's governmental system was a monarchy for most of its history. Oral literature tells that the monarchy was founded by the Solomonic dynasty of the Queen of Sheba, under its first king, Menelik I. In the first centuries AD, the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilization in the region, followed by the Ethiopian Empire circa 1137. During the late 19th-century Scramble for Africa, Ethiopia was one of two nations to retain its sovereignty from long-term colonialism by a European colonial power.

Stamps on postcard:
Menelik's Bushbuck, issued on 12.12.2002.
The 60th Anniversary of the Haramaya University, issued on 21.4.2016.


Thank you Julie!