POSTCARD N.252 - SRI LANKA

Postcard dated of 19th September; received on the 30th August 2026

Postcard image: Galactic wreckage in Stephan's Quintet

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Ravi kindly sent me two postcards issued by Sri Lanka Post in conjunction with the "Wonders of the Universe" issue, dated of 25SEP2025, comprising 10 circular stamps illustrated with beautiful photographs of ... Wonders of the Universe; planets, stars, galaxies, constellations...

Bohoma Sthuthi, Ravi. It is a very nice set of stamps and cards.

These will also be easy to post since the cards contains a pretty detailed summary of the image, so all I have to do is quote :-)

There are several things to like about this postcard and stamp, but who wouldn't be instantaneously grabbed by a title that seems perfect for a surrealist painting or a jazz album review....  Galactic Wreckage in Stephan's Quintet... oh, what a poem!

"Stephan's Quintet is a striking group of five galaxies, four of which are locked in a cosmic dance of gravitational interactions.

This galactic wreckage, located about 200 million light-years away, shows intense tidal distortions, shock waves, and bursts of star formation as these galaxies collide and merge".

Stamps:

Further to the identification of the country of issue and the face value (50 Rupee), the main stamp carries the same photograph as the card (which I believe was taken by the Hubble telescope) and the legend I so much like: "Galactic Wreckage in Stephan's Quintet".

Postage was completed with a 20 rupee stamp with a image of a Pale Ceylon line blue, (Nacaduba sinhala), a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family, endemic to Sri Lanka. 

This stamp is part of the 12 stamp issue dated of 01DEC2022, themed on Butterflies of Sri Lanka, that Ravi had also sent me and was the subject of posts regarding covers # 343/4/5.

Only one word can be inferred from the postmark: Cinnamon, but I know the card was posted at the Cinnamon Gardens Post Office at Colombo.

COVER N. 773 - MOROCCO

Postmark: Premier Jour d'émission Meknès CD  29.07.2026/ Meknès C.D 15.09.2026 

Posted on 15th September;  Received on the 30th September 2026

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The second Moroccan FDC I got on the same day. Encore merci, Pierre, pour ce pli fantastique.

Morocco and Mauritania, before independence, both French administered territories in the North of Africa, first established formal diplomatic relations in 1970. These, notwithstanding, would be severed in 1981 after an attempted coup d'état that occurred in Nouakchott, Mauritania's capital, against the government of Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla, who would  accuse Morocco of instigating it.

At the core of the disputes between the two countries was the territory of the  former Spanish Colony of Western Sahara, which Spain  ceased to lay claim to in 1975. In the wake of Spain's decision both countries claimed rights to the territory and invaded it.

Meanwhile in 1973 an independentist movement - the Polisario Front - had been established in Western Sahara with the aim of achieving independence from Spain by political action and also armed struggle. When Spain left the territory, the military effort of the independentists was redirected against the occupying Moroccan and Mauritanian forces.

Mauritania would eventually abandon its claim to the territory, in 1979, recognising, in February 1984,  the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), established in 1976, and its founder, the Polisario Front, as the legitimate representative of the Saharawi people, a position also sustained by the United Nations. 

Morocco would go on to this day without recognising the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and at present a state of low intensity warfare remains, with armed actions from both sides occasionally taking place.

With Mauritania abandoning its claim to the Sahrawi territory and an internal coup in December 1984 that overthrew the pro-Polisario president of the country, the door was opened to the reestablishment of relations with its neighbour Morocco, what would formally take place in April 1985.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the re-establishment of formal diplomatic relations, the postal administrations of Morocco and Mauritania launched a common stamp issue, comprising two stamps. (I have found no information regarding the Mauritanian issue)

The Moroccan issue, dated of 29JUL2026, is featured on the official First Day Cover that Pierre sent me.

It consists of two stamps with face values of 4.10 and 9,80 Dirham,  illustrated with images of the Ancient Mosque of Chinguetti in Mauritania and the Fort of Ait-Ben-Haddou, Morocco, respectively.

Both structures are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Chinguetti Mosque (constructed of split stone and clay with a roof of palm beams on stone piers) dates from the 13th or 14th centuries, and is located in the Ancient Ksour of Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt and Oualata, in the Adar region of Mauritania.

The  Fort of Ait-Ben-Haddou, dating from the 11th century, is constructed in earthen clay, and is located in the Ouarzazate Province of Morocco, in the ancient route between the Sahara and Marakesh.

I had the opportunity to visit it in 2023 and seeing it on a stamp prompted me to go take a look at my photos.... always a pleasure remembering places we've been to.... 

COVER N. 772 - MOROCCO

Postmark: Premier Jour d'émission Meknès CD  13.07.2026/ Meknès C.D 14.09.2026 

Posted on 14th September;  Received on the 30th September 2026

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Merci, Pierre, pour les jolis plis premier jour. Two FDCs in one day is a nice score ;-)

One of the joys of stamps is the amount of knowledge they convey to those that care to look at them with a bit more than a "where does this come from?" preoccupation.

In fact, it wouldn't be exaggerated to say that stamps are tiny pages of an ever growing worldwide collaborative  encyclopaedia that is being constantly updated as new sets are issued across the planet.

Take the stamp on this beautiful cover.

I was familiar with the tiny colourful geometric ceramic tiles that are used to compose elaborate motifs that decorate walls and façades in Islamic architecture.

But I did not know where they originated from, neither what were they called.

Today, thanks to this year's Moroccan Euromed Issue, dedicated to this particular icon of Moroccan culture, I was prompted to do some reading and I learned that these tiles (as indicated on the cover cachet and the legend on the side of the 4.10 Dirham stamp issued on 13JUN2026) are called Zellige.

This is particular relevant for me, for the word would go down to my own laguage as Azulejo, this being what we call the ceramic tiles that cover so many of the old buildings of the historic quarters of our cities, in Portugal.

I also learned that for the most part zellige are  manufactured as solid colour square tiles that are then cut to the desired shape, once baked, so that they can be encrusted into the surfaces being decorated in the pre-determined patterns.

Not so with Tetouan's zellige, though, since their tiles are cut in the desired shape before being baked, what imparts durability to the small pieces of ceramic, at the expense of it being a bit harder to get a perfect fitting in a giving design pattern.

The celebrative stamp is illustrated with two images of a fountain, presumably in Tetuan, decorated with Zellige, giving the viewer a perfect idea of the intricate beauty of the patterns achieved with this age-old decorative technique.

The stamps were cancelled with the First Day Postmark, issued at Meknès, the same location that is inscribed in the actual circulation postmark.

POSTCARD N.251 - SPAIN

Postcard dated the 18th, postmark of the 23rd September; received on the 1st October 2026

Postcard image: Nazari Stucco work detail: Vegetable motifs, 14th century, Alhambra, Granada

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Serependity, some would say.... truth is it couldn't have arrived at a better moment.

Moltes graciès, Eva. Absolutely perfect timing, considering that this week's Thursday Postcard Hunt is dedicated to UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Alhambra of Granada, Spain, is without shadow of a doubt the most famous Islamic palace located outside of today's countries of Islamic religion professing majority.

Located at the top of the La Sabika hill, at the base of the  Serra Nevada range, the construction of the magnificent palace was ordered "in 1238 CE by Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, the first Nasrid emir and founder of the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim state of al-Andalus". (source: wikipedia).

Over the following centuries, the Palace would be subject to continuous modifications and enlargements, first by Muslim rulers and later by their Catholic counterparts after the Reconsquita, which ended with the conquest of Granada and the fall of Al-Andaluz in 1492.

The physical grandeur and richness of the history of the Alhambra cannot be potted in the few lines of a post in a Mail and Stamp collecting blog. Concurrently, it is quite easy to find information on the internet about this exceptional landmark, systematised  in a much better way than I would ever be capable of, so I invite any occasional reader of these lines to spend a few minutes at the Alhambra's official website and then progress to other obvious reference resources like Wikipedia of Britannica.

Better yet, consider a visit to the actual site on a forthcoming trip to Spain (but book admission tickets well in advance, because this can be a tricky matter....)

Acknowledging the relevance and singularity of the Alhambra as signs of  outstanding universal value, UNESCO inscribed it in the list of World Heritage List in 1984, considering that it fully met three of the ten criteria of which at least one must be met, in order for any landmark to be potentially eligible to integrate the list.

As such it was considered that The Alhambra fully met criteria:

1 - to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;

3- to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;

4 - to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;

Eva's Postcard is illustrated with a  detail of probably the thing that I was most bewildered with when I visited the Alhambra. That is the incredible stucco work that covers columns walls and most of all domes and ceilings, so full of detail that it seemed to have come out of the hands not of masons but  of the most delicate embroiderers that ever lived. Absolutely stunning work.

On the card Eva used two stamps also illustrated with another of the great decorative elements of the palace. This time the Fountain of the Lions, that stands at the centre of the Lions Patio, ordered to be built by  Muhammad V, around 1380.

The 1 Euro stamp, issued on 05MAY2014 is part of a set of  7 (1 x 0, 92 + 6 x 1 €), issued as individual stamps throughout 2014, highlighting "The Brand Spain".

With the exception of ther 0,92 € stamp illustrated with the flag of Spain, all the other stamps carry a letter superimposed on the illustration, so that when seen all together the word ESPAÑA is formed.

As usual with Eva's mail, the stamps wer cancelled with the mechanical postmark of the Automated Treatment Centre of Valencia (CTA Valencia).

POSTCARDS N.249/250 - SRI LANKA

Postcard dated of 19th September; received on the 30th August 2026

Postcard image: Fauna of Minneriya National Park - Sri Lankan Sloth Bear / Sri lankan Jakalllow striped chevrotain

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Ravi kindly sends me another two postcards from the set issued in connection with the Minneriya National Park  stamp issue dated of  26JUN2025.  Bohoma Sthuthi, friend. 

Sri Lankan jakal (Canis aureus naria)

Sri Lankan sloth bear (Melursus ursinus inomatus)

Minneriya National Park occupies an 8.9 thousand hectares area in the centre of the North Central Province of Sri Lanka and before it became a National Park in 1997, it already enjoyed Protected area status as a wildlife sanctuary, since 1938.

According to Wikipedia, the park is home to 24 species of mammals, 160 species of birds, 9 species of amphibians, 25 species of reptiles, 26 species of fish, and 75 species of butterflies

On 26JUN2025 Sri Lanka Post issues a very beautiful set of 10 stamps, all of the same denomination (50 Rupees) dedicated to the wild fauna of  Minneriya National Park (cf. covers #614/5/6)  and I presume postcards of all the animals depicted in the stamps were also issued with a view to the creation of maxicards.

The cards were thus mailed with the corresponding stamps:

- Sri Lankan Jackal (Canis aureus naria),

The Sri Lankan Jackal can be found all across the country, the canid being a sub-species of the common jackal, which in turn can be found from  Africa to Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia. 

- Sri Lankan sloth bear (Melursus ursinus inornatus) 

This type of bear native to the dry forests of Sri Lanka is an highly threatened species, classified by IUCN as endangered. Its total population may not exceed 500 individuals.

Like the elephant, the loss of habitat due to land claim for cultivation purposes has strained the relation with local populations.

Postage on both cards was completed with a 20 rupee stamp with a image of a Pale Ceylon line blue, (Nacaduba sinhala), a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family, endemic to Sri Lanka. 

This stamp is part of the 12 stamp issue dated of 01DEC2022, themed on Butterflies of Sri Lanka, that Ravi had also sent me and was the subject of posts regarding covers # 343/4/5.

The postcards were sent from the Cinnamon Gardens Post Office at Colombo, whose beautiful building dates of 1905.

COVER N. 771 - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

Postmark: Guichet C La Poste RDC Perception Principale Kin 1 27.08.2026

Posted on 27th August;  Received on the 28th September 2026

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What a surprise..... 

Un  énorme MERCI, cher Roland pour ce pli qui m'a tellement plu. 

Another tick in the origins list thanks to you. I said it before, I'll say it now again, If this blog has any interest to visitors around the world is because I have been lucky to be most generously helped by some friends who make sure I get some rather interesting covers to post here. 

Vous êtes sûrement l'une de ces généreuses âmes.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the largest country is sub-Saharan Africa, as a State is as old as I, even if contrary to myself it has changed name a few times along the way.

Becoming Independent from Belgium in 1960 as The Republique du Congo" it would be renamed "Republique Démocratique du Congo", following a referendum held in 1964, only to be renamed again Republique du Zaire in 1971 following the 1965 coup led by Mobutu Sese Seko, a corrupt dictator if ever there was one.....

In 1997, the country would recover its "Republique Démocratique du Congo" designation following what became known as the first Congo War, when Rwandan and Ugandan armies led By Joseph Kabila overthrew the Mobutu's regime.

This would end the renaming succession of the country, but not the state of political and social unrest that survives up to our days in what is one of the world's richest countries in natural resources and yet one of the poorest and least developed... unfortunately, a rather common paradox....

The stamp on the cover was originally issued on 08OCT1990, with a face value of 120 Zaires (the Zaire being the country's official currency from 1967 till 1997). 

It is part of a fine set of four stamps (40; 60; 100; 120 Zaires) illustrated with images of local tourist sites, as the Vulcan of Nyara Congo depicted on it.

Of note is the fact that the original issue stamps still had Zaire printed on them, both in a large characters as country identifier, and in the legend "Sites Touristiques du Zaire".

These words as well as the original face value were at some point in time  obliterated in black   and a new RDC 5000Fc overprint and surcharge in red was applied, as can be seen in the example on the cover.

Postmark from the main post office at Kinshasa (at least I suppose that is what the "KIN" stands for), the capital.

 My National Covers

Every now and then I have the opportunity to add what I call a "National Cover" to my collection.

These are nothing fancy. In fact they are but covers that I print  at home with the flag and coat of arms of a specific country and which I then either send to a fellow collector who is willing to help or give to friends or family or take my own self whenever travelling abroad, in the hope that these might find a way to a local post office to get a stamp and a postmark.

I will be adding these to a new "My National Covers" section in this blog.

If you don't see your country here and are willing to help me add your own country's national cover to my collection, please email me at pnsoares1@gmail.com. 

You'll get a cover from Portugal (if you want I'll be happy to print a Portuguese National Cover just like the ones I print for myself, although in a somewhat larger envelope) and a printed envelope with the relevant symbols printed, so that you can then return it to me.

Thanks a lot.

Note: Whenever possible I will try to transcribe the flag and coat of arms information from the relevant national site. Failing that I'll transcribe from Wikipedia.

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Canada

The Flag

The National Flag of Canada was adopted on January 28, 1965, by proclamation of Queen Elizabeth II. On February 15 of that same year, the new National Flag of Canada was raised for the first time on Parliament Hill.

Every year, on February 15, the entire country celebrates National Flag of Canada Day to highlight this anniversary.

The National Flag of Canada is a red flag, twice as long as it is wide (proportion 2:1, or 64 units in length and 32 units in width or depth, as shown in the accompanying diagram). In its centre is a white square the width of the Flag, with a single stylized 11-point red maple leaf in the centre. The flag is horizontally symmetric.

The maple leaf is one of the most recognizable symbols of Canada, and has been used to represent Canadian identity since the 19th century. 

Red and white are colours that have historically been used by many nations, including those that contributed to the founding of Canada. Many Canadians have come to embrace these colours as representative of natural features prominent in some parts of our country: the white of winter snows, and the red of autumnal maple leaves.

Source: Official symbols of Canada - Canada.ca

The Coat of Arms

The Coat of Arms of Canada, called the Arms of Canada or the Royal Arms of Canada, were adopted by proclamation of King George V in 1921.

The Coat of Arms of Canada display the royal emblems of England, Scotland, Ireland, and France, while also featuring distinctly Canadian symbols.

The Royal Crown that sits atop the Coat of Arms indicates that these are the Arms of His Majesty the King in Right of Canada.

Canada’s motto is A Mari Usque Ad Mare, which translates to “From Sea to Sea”.

In 1994, a circular, red ribbon was added to the Arms, displaying the motto of the Order of Canada: Desiderantes Meliorem Patriam (meaning “They desire a better country”).

Source:  Official symbols of Canada - Canada.ca

The Stamps

The two "Permanent" stamps featuring flowers are the 2024 issue of the ongoing "Flowers" series. They depict :

- Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) - a species of milkweed native to eastern and southwestern North America. It is commonly known as butterfly weed because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar. (source: wikipedia)

- Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata) - a herbaceous plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, that is native to eastern Canada, the eastern United States and northeastern Mexico. (source: wikipedia)

- The "Permanent" stamp illustrated with the portrait of  Chloe Cooley was issued on 30JAN2023, being that year's issue of the Black History Month series.

Chloe Cooley was a young black woman held as a slave in Fort Erie and Queenston, Upper Canada, in the late 18th-century, as the area was being settled by Loyalists from the United States. Her owner forced her into a boat to sell her in 1793 across the Niagara River in the United States.

This incident was observed by several witnesses, who petitioned the Executive Council of Upper Canada. Although charges were dropped against Cooley's owner, the incident is believed to have led to passage of the Act Against Slavery, 1793, in Upper Canada. It prevented slaves from being imported into the province and provided for gradual abolition of slavery within a generation among those held there. (source: wikipedia)

The Postmark

The stamps were cancelled at the main  Post Office of Quebec City with a pictorial cancel evoking the establishment in 1608 of the colonial outpost of Québec as the administrative seat for New France, the name having been  chosen by French explorer Samuel de Champlain.

I had the pleasure of requesting the use of the commemorative cancel in person, at Quebec's Post Office.