Postal service in UAE is celebrating 100 years
The UAE’s postal service will have been in operation for 100 years on 19 August and the Emirates Philatelic Association and Emirates Post are celebrating with an exhibition of some of the rarest and oldest stamps collected by their members. Thanks to his postage stamps, the youngest member of the Emirates Philatelic Association (EPA) has seen famous artworks, followed sporting triumphs and relived political events at home and abroad that took place even before he was born.
Emirati student Nasser Bin Ahmad Al Serkal, 16, has been putting together his stamp collection since he was 10, and has more than 10,000 from all over the world including an edition of the first postage stamp, the Penny Black issued in the UK in 1840 which features Queen Victoria.
Part of his collection is currently on show at the Arabian Centre in Mizhar, along with several others, to celebrate the first post office of the UAE which opened in Dubai in 1909.
The exhibition will continue until 25 August and is open to the public.
Nasser’s interest in stamps was sparked by his father, Ahmad Bin Eisa Al Serkal, vice president of the EPA. “My stamps are mostly from the Gulf dating back to 1963, the oldest I have is the Penny Black from the UK. I find the stamps at conferences or through other stamp collectors,” he told Gulf News. “Sometimes you can find sets of stamps worth millions because of their rarity. I concentrate on stamps from the UAE, stamp collecting is like a big wide ocean – there will always be something to find.”
Nasser said not many of his friends are interested in his hobby as it is a little bit old fashioned.
“Each stamp is different. I have some that are printed on both sides in a printing error, which makes them a bit more valuable. I also have some before the federation was formed and from each of the emirates,” he said.
Abdullah Al Khoury, president of the EPA, said the aim of the exhibition is to promote the philatelic association and try to urge young people to get involved. “Most of our members are from an older generation. Young people today have a lot to distract them, we had less options,” he said.
