French Post Offices Abroad
This page is under construction (aren't they all?). Although I am happy to act as editor of the page, I need some feedback from anyone who can offer constructive criticism (is the layout a sensible one?), extra information, suggestions for development and so on. Please send ideas to me. I will be adding more information of my own, but would like to have feedback from anyone who finds this page useful and can add more data to it. I admit that my main interest is in the Holy Land (modern day Israel and the Palestinian Territories), so information about other post offices is not given in great detail.
This information has been collected from a number of sources including Stanley Gibbons Catalogue, part 6 (2nd edition) (France), Steichele: The Foreign Post Offices in Palestine 1840-1918 and my collection of postal history from Palestine and the Middle East. The layout of the general tables is based on that in Gibbons
Click on the initial letter of the town or post office
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
|
ALEXANDRETTA (Iskenderun, Turkey) |
Oct 1852 |
Aug 1914 |
3766 |
5079 |
ALEXANDRIE (Alexandria, Egypt) |
6 May 1837 |
31 May 1931 |
3704 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
|
BEYROUTH (Beirut, Lebanon) |
1840 |
Aug 1914 |
3706 |
5082 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
CAIFA (see HAIFA) |
|
|
|
|
LE CAIRE (Cairo, Egypt) |
Nov 1865 |
11 Mar 1875 |
|
5119 |
CANDIE (Heraklion, Crete, Greece) |
July 1897 |
1913 |
|
|
|
LA CANEE (Khenia, Crete, Greece) |
1913 |
|
|
|
|
CAVALLE (Kavalia, Greece) |
1 Jan 1874 |
Aug 1914 |
5156 |
|
|
CONSTANTINOPLE (Istanbul, Turkey) |
CONSTANTINOPLE--PERA (Istanbul, Turkey) |
1799 |
1920 |
3707 |
5083 |
|
CONSTANTINOPLE--GALATA (Istanbul, Turkey) |
Jul 1879 |
Jul 1923 |
5243 |
|
|
CONSTANTINOPLE--STAMBOUL (Istanbul, Turkey) |
1880 |
Jul 1923 |
5278 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
|
DARDANELLES (Canakkale, Turkey |
1835 |
Jul 1923 |
3708 |
5084 |
|
DEDEAGH (Alexandroupolis, Greece) |
1 Jan 1874 |
Aug 1914 |
5155 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
| ENOS Turkish Empire (Turkey) | Jan 1874 | Apr 1875 | 5153 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
| FINANARANTOSA (Madagascar) | After 1880 | 1896 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
| GALATZ (Galati, Moldavia, Romania) | Nov 1857 | 16 Jan 1875 | 4008 | 5085 |
| GALLIPOLI Turkish Empire (Turkey) | June 1852 | |||
LA GOULETTE (Tunisia) |
Nov 1867 |
1 July 1888 |
|
5121 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
HAIFA (Israel) |
8 May 1906? |
30 Sep 1914 |
|
|
HIERAPETRA (Crete, Greece) |
July 1897 |
December 1899 |
|
|
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
IBRALIA (Bralia, Wallachia, Romania) |
Nov 1857 |
16 Jan 1875 |
4009 |
5087 |
INEBOLI (Inebolu, Turkey) |
Aug 1857 |
Aug 1876 |
4010 |
5088 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
JAFFA(Israel) |
Jun 1852 |
30 Sep 1914 |
3768 |
5089 |
JERUSALEM(Holy Land) |
Aug 1900 |
30 Sep 1914 |
|
|
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
KERASSUNDE (Giresun, Turkey) |
Aug 1857 |
Aug 1914 |
4011 |
5090 |
KUSTENDJE (Constanta, Rumania) |
1 Sep 1869 |
April 1879 |
|
5139 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
LAGOS (Port Lagos, Greece) |
Jan 1874 |
April 1875 |
|
5154 |
LATTAQUIE (Latakia, Syria) |
June 1852 |
Aug 1914 |
3769 |
5091 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
MAHANORO (Madagascar) |
After 1880 |
1896 |
|
|
MAJUNGA (Madagascar) |
After 1880 |
1896 |
|
|
MERSINA (Mersin, Turkey) |
June 1852 |
Sep 1914 |
3770 |
5092 |
METELIN (Mytilene, Greece) |
June 1852 |
April 1872 |
3771 |
5093 |
MONACO (Monaco) |
June 1860 |
30 Jun 1885 |
4222 |
2387 |
MONTE CARLO (Monaco) |
10 Dec 1884 |
30 June 1885 |
|
7571 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
NOSSIE-VEY (Madagascar) |
after 1880 |
1896 |
|
|
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
ORDOU (Turkish Empire) Turkey |
May 1869 |
Aug 1876 |
|
5097 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
PORT-LAGOS (Turkish Empire) Greece |
1880 |
1898 |
|
5271 |
PORT-SAID (Egypt) |
18th March 1867 |
31st March 1931 |
|
5129 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
RETHYMNO (Crete, Greece) |
July 1897 |
1913 |
|
|
RHODES (Turkish Empire) Greece |
June 1862 |
July 1923 |
3772 |
5094 |
RODOSTO (Tekirdag) (Turkish Empire, Turkey) |
February 1872 |
August 1876 |
|
5086 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
SALONIQUE (Salonika, Turkish Empire, Greece) |
November 1857 |
September 1914 |
4012 |
5095 |
SAMSOUN (Samsun, Turkish Empire, Turkey) |
November 1857 |
September 1914 |
4013 |
5096 |
SAN NICOLO (Ayios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece) |
July 1897 |
December 1899 |
|
|
SFAX Tunisia |
January 1881 |
1st July 1888 |
|
5262 |
SHANGHAI (China) |
November 1862 |
31 December 1922 |
|
5104 |
SINOPE (Turkish Empire, Turkey) |
November 1857 |
May 1869 |
4014 |
5097 |
SITIA (Crete, Greece) |
July 1897 |
December 1899 |
|
|
SMYRNE (Izmir, Turkish Empire, Turkey) |
1835 |
September 1914 |
3709 |
5098 |
SUEZ (Egypt) |
27th October 1862 |
December 1888 |
|
5105 |
SULINA (Turkish Empire, Rumania) |
November 1857 |
April 1879 |
4015 |
5099 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
TAMATAVE (Madagascar) |
After 1880 |
1896 |
|
|
TANANARIVE (Madagascar) |
After 1880 |
1896 |
|
|
TANGER (Tangier, Morocco) |
November 1862 |
1st October 1913 |
|
5106 |
TIEN-TSIN (Tientsin, China) |
16th March 1889 |
31st December 1922 |
|
|
TREBIZONDE (Trabzon, Turkish Empire, Turkey) |
November 1857 |
September 1914 |
4016 |
5100 |
TRIPOLI (Turkish Empire, Libya) |
1880 |
1913 |
|
5264 |
TRIPOLI (Turkish Empire, Lebanon) |
1852 |
August 1913 |
3773 |
5101 |
TULSCHA (Tulcea, Turkish Empire, Rumania) |
1857 |
April 1879 |
4017 |
5102 |
TUNIS (Tunisia) |
1852 |
1st July 1888 |
|
5107 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
VARNA (Turkish Empire, Bulgaria) |
November 1857 |
August 1878 |
4018 |
5103 |
VATOMANDRY (Madagascar) |
After 1880 |
1896 |
|
|
VOHEMAR (Madagscar) |
After 1880 |
1896 |
|
|
VOLO (Turkish Empire, Greece) |
November 1857 |
1881 |
4019 |
|
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
YOKOHAMA (Japan) |
June 1865 |
April 1880 |
|
5118 |
|
Office |
Date opened |
Date closed |
PO number (small series) |
PO number (large series) |
ZANZIBAR (Zanzibar, Tanzania) |
January 1889 |
31st July 1904 |
|
|
For the opening of the Zanzibar post office, the dates I give are from Gibbons. Wikipedia gives dates 1894 to 1906, which appear to have been taken from Linn's. The issue date for the first overprinted stamps is given by Gibbons as 1894, but the post office was active before that.
Copyright © 2006 David K Smith
Last updated 21.5.2006