2018-05-03 Thu

Cilicia is a country situated on the southwestern coast of the Anatolian plateau. It was a part of the Hittite, Persian, Macedonian, Roman and Byzantine empires, along with Armenian kingdom earlier.

Seljuk Turks had conquered Cilicia first. The country was then attacked by the Ottoman Turks. When the World War I began, it was a part of the Ottoman Empire. France occupied Cilicia from December 1918 to October 1921 after the Ottoman Empire was defeated.

Over 170,000 Armenian refugees who escaped the brutal genocide by the Turks, came back to create an independent Armenian state. However, there were internal conflicts between Armenian groups. The British and French were also fighting against each other for power. Finally, the idea of creating an independent state was chucked away and Cilicia became a part of The new Republic of Turkey.

The French overprinted and surcharged French postage due stamps with “O.M.F. Cilicie” in 1921. These stamps bore new denominations in piasters. These stamps have a standard listed market value of $43 in unused hinged as well as used condition. They are not easily found in grades like fine-very fine or better.

Image Courtesy: 2018 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue