EAST BAY STAMP CLUB
If you saw 60 Minutes last Sunday evening, the world soccer organization is utterly corrupt and most executives were taking bribes, so the little country of Qatar paid off enough people that they "won" the election, and will host the World Cup. Summer temperatures of 118 F when the games will be held, very little history of soccer in their country and almost empty stadiums when there are games there. So, corruption and politics aside, their postal history is quite short....
Language Arabien
Capital Doha
Goverment Absolute Kingdom
Emir Emir Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
Area 11.606 Km2
Habitants 1.699.435 (2010)
Habitants per Km2 148 habitants per Km2
BIP/Habitant 98.33 US$ (place 4, 2005)
Currency 1 Qatar-Riyal (QR) = 100 Drham
Independency 3. septembe 1971 (from Great Britain)
1.) General Information:
- Qatar was already populated in the stone age, rich in vegetation
- 7000 years from today already certain high culture
-Then change of climate and formation of the typical dessert landscape
- Population left this area, from time to time some small villages
- 628 after Christian population of the Arabian Island changed to the Islam
- Biggest problem shortage of water, small beduines families
- Around 1760 beduines families came back to the area of Qatar
-Family Al thani founded the Al Bid, the Doha from today
- 18th and 19th century, coast of Qatar was known as "Coast of Pirates"
-Close relationship to Saudi-Arabia
-British East Indian Company finished the pirate behavior
-1867 heavy fights between Al Thani and Al Chalifa (Bahrain)
-1868 protecting contract between Qatar and the United Kingdom, established peace
-Nomination of Al Thani family as leader of the region
-Big economical and political influence of United Kingdom
-Pearlebusiness collapsed up from 1930, many Qataris left the region,economy crisis
-1939 first Oil sources, after fast growing richness and modernisation
-UK managed Qatar from India, Mumbai
-Due to that protection, currency at that time was indian Rupies
-First stamps up from 1957 to 1966 issued with Rupies as currency
-3.September 1971 Independence, British army left that region
-1966 New Currency Qatar Riyal (R) = 100 Dirham
-1971 biggest oilfield worldwide discovered, today production 3rd place in the world
-1971 Sheik changed title to Emir
-1972 Emir Ahmad ibn Al Thani was retired by Chlifa ibn Al Thani
-Further absolute monarcy, but up from that time more economical development
-Up from 1977 all oil and gas companies owned by the government
-1995 Chalifa ibn Hamad Al Thani was retired by his son Hamad ibn Chalifa Al Thani
-Reforms to more democracy started
-Up from 1998 Qatar is Headquarter of the US army in Middle East and base for the 2nd
gulfwar in March 2003
-Qatar will perform the Football world championship 2022
In 1856 the first post office from the British-Indian post opened in Muscat (Oman) and has delivered until 1st of April 1957 all the needed stamps which have been used in Qatar at that time.
It have been used English, Pakistani and Indian stamps, partly with overprints.
The currency was 1 Rupee = 100 Naye Paise (Qatar was under the protection of England and has been managed from Mumbai, India).
The German stamp dealer Mr.Wink lived with his family in the 60`s and 70`s years of the last century
in Doha and was responsible for the worldwide shipping of the stamps from Qatar, especially of course to Germany.
That was the reason that most of the stamps from Qatar have been collected in Germany and UK mainly.
Qatar have never reprint their own stamps later, what other countries partly have done,
so that in Qatar there haven been remained nearly no stamps for the Qatar collectors Qatar and in these days they have a lot of problems to get there own stamps back.
The first stamps of Qatar in indian currency (Rupees) have been issued 1957 and shown the conterfei of Queen Elisabeth II from England.
Up from 1961 there have been issued several stamps with the conterfei of Sheik Ahmand ibn Al Thani.
After Emir change in 1972, all Qatar remaining stamps with the conterfeit of Emir Ahmed ibn Al Thani have been burned.
In the new century a Nephew of the current Emir bought years nearly all stamps and covers from Qatar for his own collection of postal history of Qatar.
Postage stamps and postal history of Qatar
A British Wilding series stamp, issued 1 April 1957, and overprinted for use in Qatar.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Qatar.
First mails[edit]
Qatar had special treaty relations with Great Britain from 1916 until 3 September 1971, when it became an independent state.
From 18 May 1950 British residents were able to send mail through the office of the British Political Officer in Doha. The first three sendings of mail had Bahrain or British Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabiastamps which were cancelled by a circular office stamp but later mail had the stamps cancelled at Bahrain until a Doha canceller was introduced in July 1950. Before 1950, foreign residents made their own arrangements for mail to be sent to Bahrain from where it entered the postal system.[1]
In August 1950 the post office became a separate organisation open to the public and a further post office was opened at Umm Said oil terminal on 1 February 1956. British stamps overprinted BAHRAIN were used at first, followed by stamps of the British Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia.[1] Mian Muhammad Rafique Ahmed, a Pakistani, was Qatar's first Postmaster General, appointed in 1955.[2]
