Snapshots of UAE history on little bits of paper

A stamp that can grow into a tree and another that smells like fresh coffee are just some of the amazing offerings from Emirates Post.

The stamps highlight the various tools along with their original Arabic names.

Postage stamps issued by Emirates Post have long represented the country in far corners of the world. Now equally considered as unique pieces of art, they offer a glimpse into Emirati history and culture through the ages.

You could say that in recent years, postage stamps have taken a bit of a licking. Email and virtual greeting cards have made a serious dent in the number of letters we send through the mail.

But there are other ways in which the virtual message can never replace the glories of the top right-hand corner of an envelope.

Back in 2011, Emirates Post issued a stamp with a difference. Celebrating the Ghaf, an endangered desert tree, a single real seed was embedded in the paper.

Two years later, Emirates Post released four stamps celebrating the heritage of Arabic coffee. One design featured fresh beans being roasted. The front of the stamp gave off an aroma of fresh coffee when gently rubbed.

And ten years ago, a series of five stamps honoured pearl diving, and featured an Emirati diver, then in his 80s, with the tools of his trade, including a nose clip. Attached to each stamp was a tiny pearl.

“No, not real,” says Khalid Abu Al Hayjaa, UAE stamp researcher and coordinator at Emirates Philately in the Emirates Post Group, with a laugh.

“We debated whether to attach a real pearl and release an exclusive collection, but then decided it would be better to make it available and affordable to everyone, given pearl diving’s historic importance.”

For more than 20 years, Mr Al Hayjaa has been coming up with original and unusual designs for the country’s postage stamps. He is constantly researching and looking for ways to outdo previously issued stamps.

“So much work goes into each of the stamps, to make sure it is unique and tells a story,” says Mr Al Hayjaa, who never goes anywhere without his magnifying glass.

Several times each year, new stamps are issued on topics as varied as international events related to literacy, women’s rights and child welfare, desert flowers, insects and animals.

Others show the country’s Rulers and significant events in the Arab world, such as the Palestinian Intifada. One set, highlighting Emirati traditions, showed hands painted with henna designs that have now gone out of fashion.

The first set bearing the name of the UAE, as well as the national flag, was released on January 1, 1973, barely two years after the creation of the union in December 1971.

“You can spend hours just looking at stamps and marvelling at how such a tiny thing can capture big concepts and stories,” says Mr Al Hayjaa, who is from Jordan.

“Stamps are the ambassadors of their country of origin, so we are always careful that UAE stamps tell different Emirati stories.”

Omar Mohammed works with Mr Al Hayjaa, coordinating stamp exhibitions and making sure UAE stamps travel the world to represent their country at international exhibitions.

“I love stamps,” says the Emirati. “I have become an avid collector. Every time we work on a new set, I learn something about my country and about the different objects or themes we decide to focus on.”

The two sit and discuss ideas and then send their proposals with draft drawings to a committee of six at Emirates Post that can approve, ask for revisions or even reject their draft stamps.

Then they use designers, photographers, or artists to help them with their final creation.

“Before, we used local artists who would hand draw many of the stamps. Then we moved to the computer world and so we reach out to artists and designers across the world to help us with our stamps,” said Mr Al Hayjaa.

In the past Emirates Post has held national design competitions, sometimes through schools and universities, with the winning designs featured on special-issue stamps.

“It is wonderful to see what the youngest contestants send in. Some of the work was so creative and so beautiful. We have seen some really talented children’s drawings,” said Mr Mohammed. “Their work printed on stamps may be their first big break into the art world.”

With each issue of new stamps, Emirates Post also publishes an illustrated booklet telling the story behind the design along with technical details such as sizes and printing methods, and the quantities of each of the denominations. The information is printed in English and Arabic.

Also included is an application form to join Emirates Philately, where members have all new UAE stamps sent to them, along with other perks.

“What is keeping the stamps alive is the millions of stamp collectors across the world,” says Mr Al Hayjaa.

Stamps issued over the past decade can be easily bought, but older ones are more difficult and expensive.

With rarity comes greater value, especially if the stamp was withdrawn after errors were found, further limiting their numbers.

One example is a 1992 stamp of the Quran, with the page open on Surat Al ‘Alaq, the verses shown said to be the first revealed to Prophet Mohammed.

“It is said that one of the top officials in Emirates Post came to the office and saw someone throw a letter into the bin with this stamp attached to it, and so he immediately ordered they pull the stamp out of circulation, out of respect for the Quran,” says Mr Al Hayjaa.

If you can’t afford some of the more expensive issues, many are on display at the Postal Museum at the main Deira branch of Emirates Post, open free of charge from 7.30am to 3pm every day, except Friday. The single-room collection also features old post office boxes and keys.

Included in the collection are stamps made from real gold and silver, and others featuring holograms. Their values range from a single dirham to many thousands.

Also displayed is the complete set of the first issue of UAE stamps, which were designed to reflect the unity of the country.

There were 12 in total, showing a map and the UAE’s falcon crest. Other designs represented landmarks across the seven emirates.

Abu Dhabi’s featured a drawing of Al Maqtaa bridge, Dubai’s the Clock Tower monument. There was the landscape of Khor Fakkan, Al Zaher Palace in Ajman, Khor Khuwair in Ras Al Khaimah and Bithna fort in Fujairah.

“You can come here and learn about UAE stamps and even buy those that are more recent,” says Mr Mohammed.

“You are also bound to bump into another collector.”

He pulls out a First Currency of the UAE set, showing six paper money and six coins. It was issued on December 25 last year, with the raised design on the first coins embossed into the paper of the stamps.

“You see what the first dirhams looked like, the different designs and landmarks printed on them,” says Mr Mohammed. “Every stamp is truly a piece of art.”

For more information on Emirates Philately, visit epg.gov.ae