A Short Introduction To The Philately Of Palestine

The following tables lists post offices in the occupied territories administered by the PNA from 1994 and the regular and special datestamps used. So far less attention could be afforded to special handstamd and dated and undated cachets. These listings should be taken as preliminirary and not comprehensive.

As there seems not to be any authoritative transliteration scheme for Arabic script, pretty much any source (including maps) I have consulted gives differing spellings for Palestinian place names, therefore I note varants wherever feasable.

You can enlarge the postmark images by clicking on them. These images are in the most at 600dpi quality, though some early scans were made with 300dpi only. The measurements (diameter) are to the nearest 1/10 or 1/4 of a millimeter and also measure the inner boundaries.

Where an opening date (prior to 1994) is given it refers to offices without any long gap in service since then. Most of that particular information is based on the official list of post offices issued by the Ministry of Telecom & Information Technology. Some opening dates on the MTIT list refer only to offices (not agencies) and some data is not in line with other sources (eg. Wallach). In some instances I have made necessary corrections. Information on Ottoman, Mandate, Jordan/Egyptian, and Israeli military occupation post office are taken from aricles in philetlic journals on thee topics, and further publications by Dr. Wallach and others. This data is not complete and further study is needed.

• The Schubert-Zywietz Classification
• Post Offices and Postmarks: Index and Map
• Post Offices and Postmarks
• Special Handstamps and Cachets
• Other Marks

Thomas Schubert, upon studying hundreds of covers, has developed a systematic classification of PNA datestamps. I have slightly amended Thomas' system and we now propose the following scheme. The scans bewlow are from my and Thomas' collection, complemented by contributions from Paul Phillips, Jan R. Blok, and others. Further images were obtained from the MTIT website (denoted by green borders, sometimes apparently not to scale) and websites like Ebay.

The classification ist still under consideration. Changes may be made where necessary.
New postmarks are constantly added. If you can contribute any information,
especially better scans (600dpi), please e-mail me!

Global suffixes Where only one or very few postmarks deviate in some respect from all other marks allocated to a group, a suffix is used to denote this fact. Example: The Bani Zaid mark shown below is part of group III d (no number and block letters). It is listed as III d R because the other postmarks all have serifed letters.	New Datebridge Some type III postmarks had their datebridge renewed or repaired recently. The new datebridges have some distinctly different cyphers:
R.   serifed ("roman") letters B.   block letters C.   curved bottom inscription S.   straight bottom inscription M.   mixed upper and lower case letters

I. Egyptian-style bridge datestamps, serifed letters with number without number	SZ I a	SZ I b
II. German datestamps latin number in top segment latin number in bottom segment latin and arabic number without number	SZ II a	SZ II b	SZ II c	SZ II d
III. Palestinian datestamps, round with large number, serifed letters with small number (latin only), block letters, curved with small numbers (latin and arabic), block letters without number, block letters without number, serifed letters, mixed case with number, serifed letters	SZ III a	SZ III b	SZ III b S	SZ III b RS
	SZ III c	SZ III d	SZ III d R	SZ III e
IV. Palestinian datestamps, oval -- with small number (latin only), block letters, curved -- without number	SZ III f	SZ IV d R		SZ IV b
V. Type III departmental datestamps VI. Special datestamps First Day Cover cancellations other special datestamps, cachets	SZ V	SZ VI a	SZ VI b
VII. Palestinain Double-Circle Arab straight, Latin serifed, large block number VIII. Double Segmented block letters, double segments with "POST" and post office number (NOT postcode) block letters, empty double segments block letters, double segments with inscriptions (Arab or Latin)	SZ VII	SZ VIII a	SZ VIII b	SZ VIII c

Abssan • Abwein • Al Aizariya • Ajja • Al Amel • Al Awda Crossing • Al Far'a Camp • Al Ram • Al Remal • Anabta • Anata • Arraba • Asira ash-Shamaliya • Attil • Azun • Bala'a • Bani Naim • Bani Suheyla • Bani Zaid • Bani Zeid ash Sharqiya • Baqa esh Sharqiyah • Beit 'Awwa • Beit Hanun • Beit Jala • Beit Lahia • Beit Lid • Beit Liqya • Beit Sahur • Beit Ula • Beit Ummar • Beit Umrin • Beitunya • Ber Nabala • Bethlehem • Biddu • Bidya • Al Bireh • Bir Zeit • Bruqin • Al Buraij • Burqa • Al Dahrya • Deir al Gusun • Deir Debwan • Deir el Balah • Deir Istiya • Dura • 'Ein el Beida • Gaza • Gaza, Al Awda • Gaza, Central Sorting • Gaza, Minae  • Gaza, Omer El Mokhtar • Gaza, Rimal • Habla • Hajja • Halhul • Hebron • Hebron, Haram Ibrahimi • Hebron, Old City • Husan • Huwarah • Idhna • Illar • Jabalya • Jabalya, Jabalya Camp • Jayyus • Jenin • Jericho • Al Kafreyat • Kafr Kaddom • Kafr Rai • Kafr Thulth • Al Karameh • Khan Yunes • Khuza'a • Al Krara • Kufel Haris • Al Mazra aesh Sharqiya • Meithalun • Al Mughazi • Nablus • Nur Shams Camp • Al Nuseirat • Qabalan • Qabatya • Qafen • Qalqilya • Rafah • Rafah, Tal El Soltan • Rafah, Terminal • Ramallah • Ramallah, Central Sorting • Ramallah, Government Departments Complex • Ramallah, Mobile Post • Salfit • Al Samou • Seilet el Harthiya • Seilet el Thaher • Shaikh Redwan • Silwad • Singel • Sourief • Tal El Soltan • Tarqumya • Al Taybeh • Tubas • Tulkarm • Al 'Ubeidiya • Yaabad • Al Yamon • Yatta • Al Zababdeh • Za'tara • Zawaida

Places without a postal facilty (census population statistics)