Sunday, October 17, 2010

Aden 1937 Dhow 2r yellow -SG10



The stamp displayed above is the 1937 Aden Dhow 2R stamp .

Aden is a port city located in present day Yemen in the Middle East. It is home to almost 600,000 people and has been occupied since antiquity. Local legend even goes so far as to say that Aden is a transliteration of the Biblical word Eden, the birthplace of the human race.

Aden sits on the Arabian Sea and is near the mouth the Red Sea. It's location has made it a vital seaport for the region. Its ancient harbor has an interesting geological history; it lies inside a huge crater formed by an extinct volcano.

A dhow is a traditional Arab sailing vessel with one or more lateen sails. It is primarily used to carry heavy items, like fruit, along the coasts of the Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan, India and East Africa. Larger dhows have crews of approximately thirty people, while smaller dhows typically have crews of around twelve. Dhows are much larger than feluccas, another type of Arab boat usually used in fresh water in Egypt, Sudan and Iraq.
This is part of the first set of stamps which were issued by Aden in the year 1937.

Its always a pleasure for a ship collector to collect these stamps. 

Source:stampsofdistinction.com and wiki

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