COVER N. 752 - JORDAN

Postmark: None

Posted on  (?);  Received on the 12th July 2026

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The third cover I received on the same day sent from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, sadly arrived without postmark, something which has happened to covers sent by me also (unfortunately not from Jordan...) but which always imparts an "incomplete" look to the envelope (although having the added bonus of letting the stamps shine in their integrity.

This, I suspect, is a cover which I have deux Mercis to send out. One, most certainly, to Roland, whose name was on the sender's address, and the other to the actual sender, who I don't know who it was.  Anyway, a great many thanks to the two.

According to Wikipedia, Jordan is home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, dating back to the times of the cruxification of Jesus.

Conversely, Jordan is also home to several Biblical sites, the most famous of which is probably the Baptism site, or "Bethany Beyond the Jordan", the place where Jesus would have been baptised by John the Baptism, today a  World Heritage Site.

Celebrating the relevance of  these Biblical sites for Christianity, Jordan Post issued on 19JAN2025 a stamp sheet with 10 x 30 Piaster stamps illustrated with photos of "Christian Pilgrimage Sites in Jordan".

Two of these stamps are on the cover, namely the one depicting the Um al-Rasas, once a Roman garrison site which is believed to have been the biblical settlement of Mephaat, mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah and the other, Um al-Jimal, another old Roman garrison site.

Both sites have been awarded World Heritage status by Unesco.

Arabian Purebreeds are as famous as they are indeed beautiful, with their unique head shape, big eyes, and high tail carriage.

On 26OCT2021 Jordan Post issued a 7 x 30 Piastre  set of stamps illustrated with photos (profile and head) of several examples of this distinguished equine. One of them is also featured on the cover.

COVER N. 751 - JORDAN 

Postmark: Amman City Centre (?)  Reg. Mail 13.04.2026

Posted on the 13 April;  Received on the 12th July 2026

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The second cover I got from Talal, from Jordan. Shukran jazeelan.

- On 13JAN1993, Jordan Post issued a definitive set comprising 9 values (5;80;100;125; 160;240;320; 500 fils; 1 dinar), illustrated with an image of the Arch of Hadrian in the city of Jerash, all stamps being equal safe for the value and colour.  

The monumental structure was constructed in 129-130, honouring the visit of Emperor Hadrian to the city where it now stands, which was then called Gerasa and was subject to reconstruction in 2007.

A block of 4 x 160 fils  stamp was used on this cover.

The series would be continued in later years either with new values or with surcharged stamps.

- 40 piastre stamps are part of a set of 5x40 piastre stamps issued on 21NOV2017, highlighting World Heritage Sites in Jordan. The stamps on the cover feature:

The Umm ar-Rasas site, located in central Jordan,  renowned for its Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic ruins, including 16 churches and a famous mosaic floor in the Church of St. Stephen;

Al-Maghtas, The Baptism, a site located on the east bank of the Jordan River, reputed to be the location of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist and venerated as such since at least the Byzantine period.

- The 60 fils stamp is part of a set of 3 (20;30; 60 fils)  issued on 18SEP1973, celebrating the Day of Familywood as indicated by the legend on the stamp.

- Petra needs no presentation. The famous city cut in  pink sandstone dating from the 4th century BC, lay  in the desert forgotten to the eyes of the world until its rediscovery in 1812 by  Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, but its true call to fame came more than one and a half centuries later, when Indiana Jones entered one of its most famous buildings - Al-Khazneh, the treasury - only to almost never exit it again.

Another of the city's famous buildings, Ed-Deir, The Monastery, is featured on the 1fils stamp, on the back of the envelope, in a block of 4.

The stamp is part of a set of 4, issued on 09FEV1954. The stamps in the set were either illustrated with the image of the Monastery (1;3;5 fils) or of King Hussein II (2; 4 fils).

The Postmarks indicate that the letter was mailed from Amman, the Capital of Jordan.

COVER N. 750 - JORDAN

Postmark: ?

Posted on the 11 March;  Received on the 12th July 2026

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It has been a while since I last added a new country to my origins list. Well, this time, the Postman did not ring twice, as some say he always does, but thrice, withe three covers from a country in the troubled Middle East that had not yet made the rounds into my letterbox: Jordan.

So, Shukran jazeelan, Talal. It is a pleasure to add Jordan to my collection and I hope that peace may soon prevail.

Talal used a full set of stamps on his cover. The stamps, with face values of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 piastre, are illustrated with several citrus varieties and were issued on 23OCT2013, although they carry the legend 2012 on the top left corner.

Some of the varieties depicted are complete strangers to me, but I think I can identify the oranges (40 pt), lemons (30 pt) and mandarins (20 pt).

The postmark is illegible with exception of the date.