2017-01-04 Wed

Ironically, the ongoing tragedy in Syria seems to have heightened collector interest in its stamps. This special philatelic item is an overprinted stamp issued during the period when Syria was under French Occupation.

Situated at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, Present-day Syria is only a small portion of the ancient geographical Syrian landmass. Throughout history, Syria has been at the crossroad between the Middle East and the West.

Syria is and has always been at the receiving end of the disastrous conflicts and wars. After World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, King Faisal I of Mecca established Syria as the independent Arab Kingdom of Syria. Even though he was a British ally, British and French had secretly assigned Syria to France.

In the year 1920, France won the brief Franco-Syrian War and took charge of Syria. In 1921, the French overprinted and surcharged nine issues of the Arab Syrian government for postal use.

The stamp depicts “O.M.F.” in the overprint that stands for “Occupation Militaire Francaise”, Syrie (Syria) written below it with new French currency.