Sharjah Postal History

EPM

SHARJAH POSTAL HISTORY

Before the opening of the first post office, mails from Sharjah were sent either through Dubai or Royal Air Force base post office near Sharjah old airport. The first post office in the area was opened in Dubai on August 19^th, 1909. The Dubai post office was the only known post office in this region, and thus, mails from Sharjah, as well as the other emirates, were sent via Dubai post office. The earliest recorded cover sent from Sharjah is a 1925 Surface cover sent from Sharjah via Dubai Branch Post Office to Bombay – India, franked in reverse with 1a Indian KGV tied by “DUBAI / B.O. / PERSIAN GULF” cancel, dated “2 August 1925” and with Bombay arrival cancel dated “13 August 1925” at right.

The Imperial Airways service was changed to the Arabian side on October 1st, 1932. The service was diverted to the Arabian Gulf via Basra, Bahrain, Sharjah, and Guadar. Few covers were issued by the Company to mark this event.

When the first airport in the region was opened in Sharjah, the local people in Dubai and Sharjah start sending their letters ready stamped to the aerodrome for the fast transmission. The Imperial Airways agent used the document boxed violet “SHARJAH” cancel to cancel the stamped letters. An example of these letters is a 1932-33 Airmail cover from Sharjah to England franked with an 8 anna red-violet George V stamp of the 1926-36 issue tied by the document boxed violet “SHARJAH” cancel. The cover is the only known with the boxed violet “SHARJAH” cancel.

During the year 1940, shortly after the beginning of the Second World War, the Royal Air Force extended Sharjah’s landing strip and built a small base there. Mails from RAF station were used for the RAF officers only, Indian, and British (unoverprinted and overprinted) stamps were recorded used from Sharjah RAT station.

On January 7th, 1961, a set of eleven postage stamps and one aerogramme were, commissioned by the British Post Office for general use throughout the seven emirates. The Trucial States stamps were only ever used in Dubai, the only emirate that had a post office. Trucial States stamps were known used on the mails that coming from Sharjah and sent through Dubai post office.

The first post office in Sharjah was opened on July 10th, 1963 and at the same day the government placed on sale its first definitive postage stamps. Arrangements were made with the British postal agency in Bahrain for international surface and airmail service.

On February 20th, 1965, Khor Fakkan post office the dependency of Sharjah was opened. Gulf Aviation, a BOAC affiliated company has established a twice weekly air service to and from Sharjah. First Khor Fakkan set were issued on March 20th, 1965.